Like Father, Like Son
by RomanceAuthorNo. 3576
Summary: Soma always wanted to be just like his dad, and as a kid, Soma copied everything - even his dad's looks - much to the pleasure of the girls at school. Looking just like a younger Joichiro, Soma heads off to Tootski because it's what his dad did. Will he continue to follow in his father's footsteps, or will he start to follow his own path?
1. Chapter 1 - A Grand Entrance

"Hey, Soma!" Joichiro said to his young son. "Check this out!"

6 year old Soma watched in awe as his dad flipped an omelet out of the frying pan and caught it on a plate.

"Wow! So cool dad!" little Soma said. "When I grow up I want to be just like you!"

Joichiro shook his head. Soma had no idea what he had gone through to become what he was. Girls had hounded him all through school, begging him to stray from his path of perfection. He had put cooking before everything, before everyone that mattered in his life, until the day he finally crashed and burned. It took long years of travel to rekindle the spark of cooking within him, and even then he felt empty in a kitchen until her met _her._

Although… If Soma really wanted this, really wanted to be like his father, then he could do it differently. Soma didn't have to throw everything and everyone important to him away to cook at the highest level. Joichiro eyed Soma, and in those little golden eyes he saw a fire; a fire that could push his son above and beyond everything Joichiro was.

Joichiro's lips curled up into a smile. "It's been a while since I had a shokugeki…" he muttered.

"Huh?" Soma asked. "Speak up, pops!"

Joichiro ruffled his son's hair. "How about a cook-off?"

Little Soma jumped up and down in excitement. "Alright! I'm gonna beat you, dad!"

Jo laughed. It was the first good laugh he'd had since Soma's mother passed.

* * *

Mayu watched in awe as Soma cooked side-by-side with his dad. They looked so similar that, if it wasn't for Soma's youthful inability to grow facial hair, she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Their near-identical appearance had led to a few awkward situations, including a career day the year before where one of Soma's classmates accidentally confessed to his dad instead of him.

Of course, Joichiro just laughed it off, but it made things incredibly awkward for Soma that year. Nearly every girl in school had confessed to him after that.

Everyone except Mayu. Mayu was just too scared.

Besides, Soma had turned every single confessor down. It wasn't that Soma didn't like girls; Aki had gone snooping through his stuff and found a, um… magazine confirming it. Mayu thought it was that he had someone special already, but nobody had ever seen Soma out with a girl, even when the girls' tennis team was collaboratively stalking him day and night—

Mayu snapped out of her train of thought as two steaming plates of Chinese fried rice were put in front of her. She did her due diligence, tasting both dishes and savoring their flavor, before coming to a surprisingly easy conclusion.

"This one," she said, raising her left hand.

Joichiro winked at Soma, who shook his head and started undoing his headband.

"You've got a long way to go yet, kiddo," Joichiro said, taking a bite of Soma's dish. "Not bad though. I'll have to start taking these cook-offs more seriously."

"Pops, please," Soma said, a smirk returning to his face. "You've been taking these seriously since I was eight."

"They're both really good," Mayu said. "It's getting harder and harder to pick a winner."

Soma laughed, sitting down next to Mayu at the bar and digging a spoon into his own plate of rice. "You don't need to sugarcoat it, Mayu. I know I still have a ways to go before I beat dad, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try my hardest."

"That's… a surprisingly admirable attitude, Soma," Aki said, swooping in behind Mayu and taking a bite of rice. "And here I thought all you were good for was losing to your pops."

Soma laughed. "Watch it, Aki. I've got a batch of strawberry fried squid with your name on it if you keep it up."

Aki shut her mouth and Mayu flushed red. She remembered the last horror that Soma fed her - the one that made the school instigate a rule against food sharing. She shuddered in fear of what might happen to Aki if she couldn't control her sass.

Joichiro rolled his eyes and slapped a hand on Soma's shoulder. "Come on, kiddo, we've got a dinner rush coming in soon."

Soma nodded, getting out his heandband and tying it behind his head. "You got it, pops."

Mayu sighed in relief as Soma went to the far side of the restaurant to clear off tables. She turned to Aki and spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Aki! You know how bad his creations can be. Why poke him like that?"

Aki flashed her a wicked grin and took another bite of rice. She spoke with her mouth full. "Because it's fun, Mayu. Come on, we need to finish this food before we get kicked out to make space for the paying customers."

"Nah, we won't kick you out," Joichiro called from over his shoulder. "I don't pay Soma, so the least I can do is let you guys hang out here and eat for free."

"Yeah," Soma said, winking at Mayu as he headed out to bus some tables. "He'll just work me that much harder."

Mayu's heart skipped a beat. "W-well, if it isn't too much trouble…"

"Yo, Soma!" Joichiro said. "I need you to go out back and prep another cut of pork."

"You got it, pops," Soma said, putting the pile of dirty dishes he just collected into the sink on his way.

Mayu took another bite of each dish. Soma's fried rice was delicious, and made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, but there was something…rough, about it, she thought. Joichiro's dish was delicious, too, but it was also centered, whole; like there was something more than just the taste and texture to the dish, something that made Mayu forget everything for a few fleeting moments and be one with her food.

"Oi, Mayu," Joichiro whispered. He snuck a glance at Aki, who was too busy enjoying her food to notice that they were talking. "Just between you and me, do you think Soma will win anytime soon?"

"Um…" She said. "I don't know. There's something… Missing, in his cooking, I think. But I don't know what it is or how he can get it. I'm not a chef or a food critic. All I know is that I liked yours better."

Joichiro looked around the room and gave Mayu a sad smile. "I see. I guess that means I need to make a few phone calls, and a few people are going to be surprised when a younger version of me shows up."

"Um… Excuse me?" Mayu asked. "I don't understand."

Joichiro just winked at her. "Take care of Mr. Tomita and the rest of the shopping district, okay?"

Mayu was confused. Was Joichiro leaving? Was Soma leaving? Why would she, a middle school girl who hadn't worked a job before, need to take care of the shopping district?

But it was Mr. Yukihira asking. He had always been so good to her and everyone who lived around Sumire. Of course she would do as he asked, and she nodded firmly.

"Thanks, kiddo." Joichiro said. "Now, what do you want for dessert?"

* * *

Erina stood at the front of the examination room, watching as all of the unworthy scum ran from her palate. She closed her eyes and smiled. Anyone who didn't have the confidence to at least attempt to please her had no business tarnishing Tootsuki's name.

But when she opened her eyes, she saw the one man she had been longing to return to her life. The one man she had kept a picture of, hidden away in a cookbook, since she was eight years old.

But had his hair gotten a little brighter?

"S-Saiba-sama?" Erina stuttered out.

Soma looked confused. "Uh, me? My name's Yukihira Soma. I can still take the transfer exam, right?"

"Uh, y-yes, of course. My mistake," Erina said, trying to regain her composure. "You just look like someone I haven't seen in a long time."

"No worries," Soma said, completely oblivious to the fact that Erina was talking about his dad. "So I can make whatever, as long as I use eggs and I make you say it tastes good?"

"Yes."

"Cool," Soma said, walking over to the kitchen station. "I have to prepare a large batch of one of the components; should I make a serving for secretary-chan and the ojii-sama behind the door too?"

Nakiri Senzaemon belted out a laugh and walked into the room.

Erina stared at him, shocked. "G-grandfather?"

"Hello, Erina, Hisako," Senzaemon said. Then he turned to the red-head. "Yukihira Soma, was it?"

"Hai."

"How did you know I was behind the door?"

"Easy," Soma said. "I saw the glint of your eyes when you peeked out to watch the other transfer students run."

"Ah. Well then, do you mind if I observe your cooking? It's not everyday that someone comes in with enough spine to cook for Erina."

"Not at all!" Soma said, a bright smile on his face. "I take it that means you want some, too?"

"Of course, if you're offering," he said with a smile on his face. "And why not for Hisako-chan as well?"

"Um, well, Nakiri-dono…" Hisako protested.

Senzaemon silenced her with a grandfatherly glare.

"You've skipped breakfast today to get your work done, haven't you?"

Erina looked expectantly at Hisako, who nodded after a few moments.

"I thought so," Senzaemon said, turning to address Soma. "A large portion for Hisako as well."

"Hai!" Soma said, finishing the knot on his headband. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Erina sat in silence, watching the boy — no, the man in front of her cook. He looked so much like Saiba-sama. But he wasn't a Saiba. He was a Yukihira. Maybe there was some more information in his file. She began rifling through the stack of folders to find the one marked Yukihira…

And Senzaemon snatched it away before she could open it.

"Erina," he said, warmly. "This is Tootsuki. Let his food do the talking."

Erina nodded, sitting back down to watch the redhead cook.

* * *

"Oagario!" Soma, said, presenting two bowls to each observer and keeping a pair for himself.

"What… What is this?" Erina asked, as if she was insulted.

Soma was about to say something, but then he caught himself and grinned. "I like ojii-sama's line. What was it? 'Let the food do the talking?'"

Senzaemon laughed, and Erina flushed red. "Why you insolent-"

"Watch," was all Soma said as he upended the bowl with egg onto the white rice. Soft balls of scrambled egg and tiny cubes of aspic tumbled onto the white rice, and after a few seconds the aspic began melting down into the hot, fluffy grains.

Senzaemon, Erina, and Hisako followed suit, and a chorus of "Itadakimasu!" came out from all four people before they took their first bite.

Hisako had never tasted food this good. It was so full of life…

Erina had to restrain herself from crying out in joy it was so delicious.

Senzaemon's robe exploded into shreds, revealing his buff torso. Scraps of cloth flew about the room, landing everywhere except in the bowls of food.

Soma just smiled as he scarfed down more food, speaking with his mouth full. "Yup! Nailed it!"

In no time, the others finished their bowls as well. Erina didn't know what to think. Where did this chef come from? How could he make food this delicious? Why was she so damn angry about it? And why the hell did he look like Saiba Joichiro? Surely if this was a top-tier chef, she would have heard his name at some point during her work as the God Tongue. But this unknown man, this nobody, had just served up a dish that made her see stars. Maybe grandfather was right; maybe it was worth seeing how his food spoke amongst the rest of the Tootsuki class.

"Who," Erina asked, "is your father, Yukihira-kun?"

Soma looked confused. "Why does that even matter?"

"Please, just humor me. Is your father a gourmet chef named Saiba?"

Soma got visibly angry at that. "My dad is a proud Yukihira, Erina- _ojou_. He and I have been working together to run shokujidokoro Yukihira since I was three years old. Why do you care so much about who my dad may or may not be? Why is that more important to you than the quality of the food I serve? Would my cooking taste better if I was born to someone else?"

"Well said, Soma-kun," Senzaemon said. He turned to face his granddaughter. "Erina, what is the verdict on the boy's transfer exam?"

Erina was silent for a long moment.

"Pass," she finally said with mild disgust.

Soma pumped his fist in delight. "Osomatsu! That means you thought it was delicious, right?"

Erina flared with rage. "It will take more than rice and egg to make me, Nakiri Erina, the God Tongue, find any food 'delicious.'" She said, crossing her arms. "It was adequate to pass, nothing more."

"But you looked like you were really enjoying it," Soma said, confused. "The entire bowl disappeared in, like, three seconds."

Erina just stormed off, Hisako following dutifully behind her. Senzaemon laughed.

"Welcome to Tootsuki, young Soma-kun." He offered his hand. "I am the director, Nakiri Senzaemon."

"Wow, director-sama!" Soma said. "But why—"

"Soma-kun, there's no need to be formal with me," Senzaemon interrupted. "I saw your father's tenure here at Tootsuki. He and I have been working on a very important project together. He, and by extension, you, are basically family to me." He glanced at the door. "Though I doubt Erina feels the same."

"Yeah," Soma said, scratching the back of his head. "She didn't seem too happy to pass me."

"You confused her," Senzaemon said, provoking a confused look from Soma. "Your father came to cook for us once, back when Erina was still a child. He showed her what it truly meant to put joy into your food. Nobody's been able to impress her like that since… well, today, I guess."

"Hmm," Soma muttered. "One more thing I need to beat my father in…"

"I think it would be wise of you to refrain from mentioning your heritage to her," Senzaemon said. "Otherwise, you will never become anything more than the son of Saiba Joichiro."

Soma thought for a long moment. "I think that advice applies to more than just Nakiri-san. How many others at Tootsuki knew my father?"

"You have more wisdom than Joichiro did at your age, at least. To answer your question, I couldn't tell you," Senzaemon said, turning to leave. "But asking for their discretion seems a reasonable course of action. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Soma-kun. I look forward to seeing the impact you'll have on Tootsuki."

"Wait, ojii-sama," Soma said. "Before you go, can you teach me how to do that 'robe ripping' thing you did when you ate? That was awesome!"

* * *

Erina sat at her desk, comparing Soma's photo to the photo she had of Joichiro.

"You look almost identical," she muttered. "But you can't be his son. You grew up in a diner. Saiba crafted gourmet meals of the finest quality. There's no way…" Erina thought back to the memory of his furikake gohan, of scarfing down that commoner's food with utter abandon, and of the immense pleasure she had felt while doing so. It sent a shiver down her spine.

It felt _wrong._ She would destroy this commoner, whoever he was, for daring to remind her of her long lost idol. This Yukihira Soma was no Saiba Joichiro. He _couldn't_ be. She would utterly destroy him for reminding her of the empty place in her heart.

"Lady Erina?" Hisako said, entering the room. "Your bath is ready."

"Ah," Erina said, her mind still on that impostor. "Good. I feel dirty after eating that entrance exam dish."

"Hisako looked confused. "But, Lady Erina, didn't you pass him?"

Erina's cheeks flushed a little red. "I… Grandfather was there. His stare can be…" She shuddered. "Intimidating."

Hisako nodded in reply. "Of course, Lady Erina."

Erina smiled. This day was getting better already. She would have her bath, and then she would make plans to destroy Yukihira Soma.

* * *

Hi all, and thanks for reading! I'm going to try for weekly chapters on this story - but my summer schedule is a bit busier than I'd like. Chapter 2, "Boef What?" will likely be up by July 14th.


	2. Chapter 2 - Boef What?

_Ok, ok, Megumi, you can do this, the blunette thought. Just avoid the hotheaded transfer student that everyone wants to murder and keep a low profile. You can do this. As long as you don't get an E you'll be…_

Roland Chappelle slammed the classroom door closed, and all of the students jumped in surprise. His voice was cold and unyielding. "Pair up."

Students scrambled to their stations, a look of induced panic on their faces. Megumi just froze. She had Chappelle as her first teacher; meaning that if she didn't get an A on this assignment…

She would be expelled.

"…Hello?" A voice called out to her. "Are you okay?"

Megumi shook herself back to reality. It was the transfer student. His long, red hair and sleek jawline framed his face so perfectly… And his piercing, golden eyes…

 _Ah! No! Avoid at all costs! Avoid at all…_

"So it looks like everyone else is all paired up," the transfer student said. "Do you want to work together?"

 _…Shit._

"Uh, sure, I guess," Megumi said, rather timidly. "I really need an A on this assignment, though."

"No worries," Soma said, giving her a warm smile. "I grew up in a kitchen. This can't be too hard, right?"

"Today," Chappelle-sensei said, "We will be making Boef Bourguignon. The recipe is on the board. You have two hours."

"Uh, Boef… What?" Soma asked, confused. He walked over to the white board and studied the recipe, muttering to himself.

Megumi almost fainted when she heard those words. She started writing the 'man' character on her hand and swallowing it. Soma came back and watched with a puzzled look on his face.

"Uh, you okay, Tadokoro-san?"

"Um, hai," she responded, nervously. "This is just a little ritual that's supposed to help me deal with nervousness."

"Nervous?" Soma asked. "You got into Tootsuki. You're obviously a great chef. What's there to be nervous about?"

"W-well, Soma-kun, if I… If I don't get an A on this assignment, I'll flunk out."

Soma's first thought was to make an offhand comment about how even Tootsuki had to have students like her, but he caught himself before his mouth opened. Tadokoro was facing failure, rejection; a mental state similar to the girls he had to push away in middle school. He couldn't just say whatever he wanted with no repercussions; he had to be gentle about it. And it looked like Tadokoro really needed some support right now.

Soma smiled. "I've got something better for you. Put your hands together." She did, and Soma clapped his hand together on top of hers.

The sting of pain shocked Megumi's senses into clarity. She saw her hands together in Soma's, and when she looked up to his face, she melted into his warm, golden eyes. Her stress, her nervousness, just washed away, and all she could see were those two eyes staring back at her.

And then she realized how this scene must look from the outside, and she recoiled her hands, blushing. How could he do something so shameless…

"It worked, didn't it?" Soma asked with a smug grin on his face.

Megumi looked down at her hands. They weren't shaking. They stung, but all of the fear that had frozen her time and time again seemed to have just melted away. For the first time in a Tootsuki kitchen, she felt warm.

"Y-yeah, I guess it did."

"Come on, Tadokoro," Soma said. "We have an A to earn."

* * *

Ryo, working alone due to an odd number of students in the class, observed the two delinquents as they planned to sabotage the transfer student. It wasn't hard; they were working at the station right in front of him and apparently didn't notice the silent chef behind them. If these idiots were trying to sabotage his dish, or lady Alice's, he would have donned his headband and started throwing punches. But they were sabotaging the transfer student.

Ryo was present at the entrance ceremony and heard the transfer student's speech. He remembered how lady Alice reacted with her usual smile whenever anything interested her. Lady Alice would certainly like to know how the transfer student handles this interference, so Ryo would watch. If the transfer student failed, then he was a man of little consequence and would likely not survive Tootsuki much longer. But if he succeeded, then he may be worth beating into submission later.

And the delinquent partnered with the transfer student? Well, Tootsuki was a place where the strong survived and the weak were eaten. Even if the transfer student got her through this challenge, she would fail eventually. Such was the way of things.

Besides, watching what happened would be at least a little less boring than cooking the assignment dish.

* * *

Soma noticed something odd. "Hey, Tadokoro, did you open the lid on the pot?"

Megumi looked confused. "No, we still need to let it simmer for another twenty minutes. Why?"

Soma lifted the lid on their Boef Bour-whatever and saw a large pile of white powder in their meat. He dipped a spoon into it and brought it up to his tongue.

"Salt," he said, looking around the classroom. He locked eyes with a pair of male students two stations away with evil grins on their faces.

"S-Soma-kun?" Megumi said, looking into the pot. She let out a quiet "eek!"

"We've been sabotaged, Tadokoro-san," he said, calmly. "Come on—"

Megumi was shaking again, back to swallowing the 'man' character again. Soma shook his head at her.

"Hands together, Tadokoro-san!"

Megumi put her hands together, and for the second time that day, Soma clapped his hands on hers. She felt the familiar sting of pain washing away all of her tension, allowing her to focus clearly on how her hands were in his again…

"Come on Tadokoro!" Soma said. "We gotta get this dish ready."

"But Soma-kun," Megumi protested. "We've only got half an hour left. We can't possibly get the beef soft enough to pass—"

Soma just smiled. "One thing you learn growing up in a diner is that regardless of what happens in the kitchen, the customer still needs to get served good food on time. Take care of the vegetables, and leave the meat to me."

"H-Hai!" Megumi said, with more confidence in her voice than she had ever possessed in her entire tenure at Tootsuki.

* * *

Ten minutes before time was called, Soma and Megumi presented their dish to Chappelle-sensei. And when he tasted it, he immediately knew who this young Yukihira was.

"This earns an A rating," Chappelle said, with a grin from ear to ear. "But only because I do not have the authority to award you a higher grade."

Soma ripped off his headband in dramatic fashion, letting his long hair flutter about his head. "Osomatsu!"

"Yukihira, please wait outside in the hall. I'd like to talk with you once class is over."

Soma looked confused. "Uh, am I in trouble?"

Chappelle shook his head, still smiling. "Not in the least. This has nothing to do with your standing in my class or at Tootsuki."

"Oh, phew!" The redhead said, turning to high-five Megumi.

"You did it, Soma-kun!" Megumi said as they left the classroom. "That was amazing!"

Soma leaned his back up against the wall, watching another pair of students leave the classroom. "Nah, Tadokoro. That was teamwork. _We_ did it."

Megumi just blushed. She initially thought Soma was just some hothead gunning for the top of Tootsuki, but after working with him, she saw the depth of character he had. She had seen his kindness and sincerity, and his ability to inspire competence in even herself. She didn't know what this feeling of warmth was, but she didn't mind it at all. His eyes were so welcoming…

"Say, Tadokoro, do you know where the Polar Star dorm is?" Soma asked, holding a map of Tootsuki sideways. "I can't seem to find it on this map."

"H-Hai!" Megumi said, snapping out of her daydream. "Is that where you're staying, Soma-kun?"

"Yeah," he said. "Pops isn't giving me enough money to afford rent, and that's the only on-campus housing, right?"

"Mm," Megumi agreed. "It's where I live, too. Want me to take you there after your talk with Chappelle-sensei?"

Both of Soma's hands clapped down on Megumi's shoulders, and he spoke with an incredible sense of enthusiasm. "You bet! That'd be a huge help, Tadokoro!"

Megumi didn't think she could get any redder. "It's… It's the least I could do, Soma-kun."

Chappelle closed the door of the classroom behind him. "Ah Yukihira. Excellent. Tadokoro, may we have some privacy?"

"S-sure," Megumi said. "Soma-kun, I'll wait for you by the bike racks so we can walk to Polar Star together."

Soma nodded giving her a thumbs up. "Thanks again, Megumi-chan!"

* * *

Soma sat across a cooking station from Roland Chappelle. The classroom was empty save for the two of them.

"So," Chappelle said. "Joichiro finally sent his son to Tootsuki."

"You knew my dad?" Soma asked, remembering the conversation he had with Senzaemon.

"Mm. He and I worked in the same kitchen eighteen years ago. That man put his soul into every single dish he made, just like you did today. How's your old man doing?"

"Well, I think," Soma replied. "He closed down Yukihira when he sent me off here. Last I heard he was in New York cooking at some fancy hotel."

Chappelle's lips curled up into the barest of smiles. "That seems about right. Tell him to call me, would you? I haven't heard from him in over a decade."

"Sure thing, sensei. But I have a small request of my own."

Chappelle arched an eyebrow.

"Please keep my relation to dad a secret. It's been my goal ever since I picked up the knife to become as good a chef as he is, but I don't think I can do that if everyone just sees me as his son. I'd like to get there on my own, not by following in his shadow."

Chappelle sat there for a long moment before he responded. "You have wisdom beyond your years, Yukihira. I will honor your request, but I will not outright lie for you."

"Arigato, Chappelle-sensei. Is that all?"

"Not quite," the old man said, pushing forward a pen and paper. "I'd also like the recipe for your altered Boef Bourguignon. It'll be an excellent example for my 'problem solving in the kitchen' class for the seniors."

Soma sighed in relief. "Of course!"

* * *

Soma and Megumi left the academic building and began their long walk toward Polar Star. The sun was setting, and Soma's stomach was growling, so he pulled out the experiment from this afternoon and started munching on it.

"Uh, Soma-kun, what's that?"

"Oh, this?" Soma asked, tossing another squid leg into his mouth. "Honey pickled squid with black sesame."

"That… doesn't sound too appetizing," Megumi said. "But I guess everyone has their own particular tastes right?"

"Oh, no," Soma said, putting his trademark stupid grin on. "This shit's nasty."

"Um, so, why are you eating it?" Megumi asked. "Why did you even make it if it was just going to be gross?"

Soma thought long and hard for a good answer to her question. "Okay, humor me. You're the first chef ever. No recipes, no peers to learn from, nothing."

"Alright…"

"How do you know a flavor combination will taste good?"

Megumi tapped a finger to her chin. "I guess you just have to test it out. Put them together and see what happens?"

"Right!" Soma said with enthusiasm. "But if you end up making something gross, then what?"

"Well, I guess you've just wasted your ingredients, then," Megumi said.

Soma shook his head. "What's stopping you from doing that exact same thing again in the future?"

"Well, I guess you've learned not to make that combination again."

"Right, but do you understand why those flavors don't work together if you've never eaten them yourself?"

"I guess not," Megumi said. "So what you're saying is that you learn just as much by making and eating bad food as much as good?"

"Yes! Exactly, Megumi-chan!"

"Well then…" Megumi blushed. "May I try a piece of your squid then? I'd like to learn too."

Soma tried to fight off the urge to say no. Back in middle school, he would force his creations on his peers to see the look on their faces when they tasted it. But a group of girls that were fighting over him had explicitly said that it was a really bad habit and that nobody would like Soma if he forced his disgusting food on others.

…But Megumi was asking for it, right? He's not forcing anyone to eat it other than himself. This clearly didn't count.

Soma shrugged, holding the bento box out in front of the blunette. "Sure, be my guest."

Megumi took a piece of squid, looked at it apprehensively, and popped it into her mouth.

Soma had to carry her the rest of the way to Polar Star.

* * *

A/N: Alright folks, I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 1 and I hope you enjoyed chapter 2!

Ashley Antwolf: I intend to pair up just about everyone.

Chapter 3, 'First Night', should be up by the 21st. Ciao!


	3. Chapter 3 - First Night

Soma arrived at Polar Star with an unconscious Megumi in his arms and rang the doorbell with his elbow. The building was large and overgrown with ivy, giving it a sort of 'haunted mansion in the woods' look, but Soma just shrugged. If Megumi could survive living here, he probably wouldn't have an issue with it either.

The door opened, and an older lady with gray spiky hair peeked out from behind the door.

"Yes?" she asked impatiently. "We don't usually get visitors—"

The words froze in her mouth when she looked down to see a younger version of Saiba Joichiro carrying an unconscious Tadokoro Megumi.

"Ah, hello!" Soma said, oblivious to Fumio's reaction. "I'm Yukihira Soma, the new transfer student, and I've come to live here."

Fumio eyed Soma suspiciously. "Oh? And what happened to Megumi?"

"She asked to try one of my failed creations. I knew it was bad, but I didn't know I'd have to carry her halfway here…"

Memories of Joichiro and Jun sprang to the forefront of Fumio's mind. "You sure you didn't force it on her?"

Soma laughed. "Oh, no! I stopped doing that in middle school. The girls in my class kinda beat that habit out of me."

Fumio was genuinely surprised at that. "Well, it looks like you're already ahead of your father…"

Soma sighed. "You knew him too?"

"Of course, boy! Your father, Saiba Joichiro, led Polar Star to its golden age! How could I forget?"

Soma could feel his left knee start to buckle. "Is there a place I could put Tadokoro-san down? I've been carrying her for the past half hour."

Fumio snapped out of her reminiscent state and nodded. "Sure. Her room is 302; take her up there, then come see me in the kitchen."

Soma stepped into the lobby of the large building, and when he saw the staircase, he took a deep breath.

 _Almost there. Just two flights of stairs…_

* * *

Megumi opened her eyes just as Soma reached the door to her room. It took her a second to realize that she was being carried, by Soma no less. His manly arms and chest enveloping her… They were so warm…

"Oh! You're awake, Tadokoro-san!" Soma said, putting her back on her feet.

Megumi flushed redder than a tomato. "U-um… Soma-kun… D-did you just… Carry me all the way to the dorm?"

"Well, yeah. You passed out after trying my squid, and nothing I did was waking you up. I'd be a bad friend if I just left you unconscious on the road, and it was getting dark too. So I just picked you up and carried you." He flashed her a warm smile. "No big deal!"

"Uhh… Y-yeah, no b-big deal…"

"Well, anyway, the old lady wanted me to meet her in the kitchen. See you later, Tadokoro!"

Soma stretched his shoulders as he walked back down the stairs. Megumi could only stare. Soma-kun was so… dreamy.

 _That_ thought caused her to blush so hard she could swear steam was escaping out her ears.

"Bath…" Megumi whispered. "I need a bath…"

* * *

"Bath…" Soma muttered in shock. "I need a bath…"

Fumio had reacted strongly to Soma's cooking. _Very_ strongly. She had taken her first bite, and then she smiled…

Soma had seen some strange things happen when people ate his food. Mostly, back in Diner Yukihira, they'd just start scarfing the rest of their meal down. Then there was that ojii-sama at the transfer exam that shredded his clothes, which was odd, but cool. But that last thing Soma expected from a foodgasm was for Daimido Fumio to plant her lips on his. And in his exhausted state, he was too slow to stop her.

"Ruined…" he said. "My first kiss, ruined…"

Fumio finished the mackerel burger Soma made with a smile on her face. "Well, brat, you're definitely Joichiro's son. That was some damn good cooking."

"About that, Fumio-san," Soma said. "I'd really appreciate it if you could keep that between us."

"Hm? Not proud of your old man?"

"The opposite, actually," Soma explained. "It'll be hard to surpass him if I stay in his shadow and walk the same path he did. I need to make my own name; forge my own path."

Fumio nodded. "Well, that's one thing you've got over that old cat. I'll keep my mouth shut about your dad. Here's your room key; you'll be in 304."

"Thanks, Fumio-san!"

"I should be thanking you, Soma-kun. That was quite a delicious meal. Anyway, go get ready; there's going to be a party tonight."

"A party?"

"Welcome to the Polar Star family, brat. You'll meet everyone else soon enough."

* * *

Megumi poked Mr. Duck on the nose and watched it slowly float away in the bath.

 _Soma-kun carried me halfway up that hill. I know he looks strong, but still… Why am I thinking about his arms and chest so much? Ugh, this is so improper!_

Megumi blushed a little. She took a deep breath and sank down to her neck in the hot bathwater.

 _Stupid me for trying his failure. He told me it was bad. I didn't listen. I ate it anyway. I wasn't ready for…_

Megumi shuddered.

 _That. I wonder what Soma-kun could even learn from something that disgusting…_

Mr. Duck came floating back to Megumi and bumped into her chin. She smiled, sat up, and poked the duck again.

 _You understand, Mr. Duck. You don't distract me with your big arms and muscle-y chest and warm embrace. You don't let me eat food so bad I pass out and need to get carried home…_

Yukihira Soma entered the bath, stark naked, at that exact moment. Megumi saw everything, from his manly arms to his defined chest to his six pack abs to his…

Megumi let out a scream.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

"Marui! Thanks for hosting the party again!" Diago said, slapping the pale man on his back in a 'just us bros' kind of way.

"But you guys are going to make a mess again!" Marui protested.

"Oh, come on Marui," Ryoko said. "Just drink some rice juice and put a smile on!"

"Yeah, Marui!" Soma said. "This rice juice is the best!"

Ryoko blushed a little at the compliment. "You're too kind, Soma. _Some_ people," she glared at Shoji and Diago, "don't understand how difficult it is to make rice juice this smooth."

"You mean sake?" Yuki said.

"Yuki, please. Drinking sake is illegal at our age. This is just rice juice."

"Pass it here, Ryoko," Megumi said, a blank look on her face. "I need to forget tonight…"

Ryoko handed Megumi the bottle, but instead of refilling her cup, the little blunette started gulping down rice juice from the bottle.

Soma and Ryoko exchanged glances.

"That can't be good…" Ryoko said.

"Food!" Soma said. "We need more food!"

"Alright!" Diago said, excited to show off his cooking skills to the new guy. "Just give me 8 minutes and I'll be back with something tasty!"

"A real man should be able to last longer than 8 minutes in the kitchen," Yuki quipped.

Diago got in her face. "What's that you filthy game beast?! I'll have you know…"

Soma turned his attention to Marui, who seemed close to passing out.

"You ok there, Marui?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, pushing up his glasses and taking another swig of rice juice. "I just don't have the stamina to survive these parties all the time."

"Oh! Is that all?" Soma asked. "Come work out with me. You'll have a lot more energy if you stay in shape."

Marui blanched at that idea. "I tried that with Diago once… It didn't work out so well."

Soma looked at Diago, then shook his head. "Let me guess, you tried picking up something too heavy and got hurt?"

Marui nodded, taking another sip of Ryoko's 'definitely not sake' rice juice.

"Someone with no experience should start out small. I've got a nice beginner's workout from my dad; let's run through it a few times—"

"Ooh!" Ryoko said, crouching down next to Soma. "Soma's going to be working out?"

"W-what?" Megumi said, blushing.

"Well, yeah," Soma said, like it should be obvious. "You gotta keep your body and mind sharp if you want to do anything with them."

Diago came over, flexing in front of the girls. "Dude! I know, right?"

"He said body _and_ mind, musclenuts," Marui said. "You should find a tenant to occupy that empty space you call a brain."

Soma, Ryoko and Megumi burst out laughing, putting a genuine smile on Marui's face.

"Yo, Marui!" Shoji said, laughing. "That was so savage!"

"Y-yeah, Marui!" Megumi said, slurring her words a bit. "You gotta get your *hic* body as sharp as your tongue!"

"Oi, brats!" Fumio called through the speaking tubes. "I got some buri daikon down here. Come and get it!"

"Oh yeah!" Shoji said, heading toward the door.

"Love that old hag!" Diago said, following him.

"She's the *hic* best," Megumi said, taking another swig of rice juice from the bottle.

"Okay, you're done," Ryoko said, taking the half-full bottle from Megumi and downing it herself.

"Hey—"

"Megumi, I'm cutting you off. You've had plenty tonight."

"But Ryoko, I saw Soma—"

Soma put a hand on her mouth. He was blushing furiously. "And that's enough of that."

Ryoko and Yuki both became very interested.

"Oh? What did you see, Megumi?"

"Mmph—" she tried to say through Soma's hand.

"Nothing! Nothing at all…" Soma said, starting to sound desperate.

"Soma-kun walked in on Megumi-chan's bath," Ibusaki said.

Soma glared at the quiet man. "Dude, seriously?"

Yuki and Ryoko's faces were incredibly red. They grabbed Megumi out of Soma's grasp and pulled her away from him.

"Soma! Fist you walk in on her in the bath, and now you… you…" Yuki said.

"It's ok, Megumi," Ryoko said, stroking the blunette's hair, trying to calm her down. "Just tell Ryoko-chan all about it…"

Soma slapped his palm against his forehead. "My life is over…"

"Hai!" Isshiki interrupted, bursting into the room in nothing but a pink Kumabear apron.

Soma's jaw hit the floor.

 _Just what is it with this school and nudity? First the director, now this…_

"Soma-kun, let me officially welcome you to Polar Star by showing off my…" Isshiki paused for dramatic effect. "Naked Apron Technique!"

He turned around, and his bare bottom shook for all of the Polar Star residents to see. It was mesmerizing…

And something in Soma snapped. He would later blame the rice juice.

"Isshiki-senpai," Soma said. "Do you have any more aprons?"

The blue-eyed senpai smiled.

* * *

Five minutes later, Soma had returned to the party wearing nothing but Isshiki's pink Inudog apron. Silence fell across the room.

Ryoko and Yuki stared at his ass.

Diago and Shoji nodded in approval.

Marui was long passed out.

Ibusaki just sat there, not showing any reaction.

Megumi finally spoke, completely unimpressed. "Eh, it ain't *hic* nothin' I ain't seen before."

* * *

The party had long ended, and Soma stood out on the balcony, still naked under the apron, staring up at the stars. It was a brisk night, and the gentle breeze blowing between his legs was invigorating.

 _Maybe that creepy senpai was on to something…_

Soma heard footsteps behind him, and felt a warm, feminine hand place itself on his back. He didn't turn around.

"Fumio-san, if you try kissing me again I swear—"

Ryoko laughed. "Isshiki-senpai told us about that. It must have been terrifying."

"Oh, hi Ryoko-chan," Soma said. "Out here to enjoy the stars?"

"Mm, that and another view," she said. "I'm surprised how quickly you took to the naked apron. Normally Isshiki-senpai just freaks people out with it."

"I've started seeing a trend here," Soma said. "Everyone's a weirdo. I might as well join 'em."

"You know, Soma-kun," Ryoko said, teasing him. "It's impolite to call a lady a weirdo."

Soma chuckled. "How's Megumi handling her first taste of alcoholism?"

"Yuki's making sure she throws it all up," Ryoko said. "I doubt she'll remember much of tonight."

Soma turned to face Ryoko, her arm wrapping around his neck. He looked down into her bright, shining eyes. "And that leaves you free to… What, 'enjoy the view?'"

Ryoko gave him a wicked grin. "Something like that."

"Well, don't let me disappoint," Soma said.

Ryoko leaned in for a kiss…

And felt Soma turn back to the balcony, facing the stars.

"The view _is_ quite lovely tonight, isn't it?"

"Mou, Soma-kun, that's not fair…" Ryoko said, pouting.

"I think, after that incident with Fumio-san, I may never kiss again."

Ryoko arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Was it that good?"

Soma laughed. "No, not at all. It was so bad that I don't think any girl on earth could fix it."

"You're going to disappoint a lot of girls if you don't let us try, Soma-kun."

"Ah, Soma-kun! Ryoko-chan! There you are," Isshiki called from behind them. "Come on inside, I made some delicious food!"

Ryoko shot a quick glare back at her senpai, then locked eyes with Soma. "To be continued?"

Soma shrugged, turning to go back inside. "We'll see."

* * *

"Isshiki-senpai, this Spanish mackerel with Chinese pepper is amazing!" Soma said. "It's on a whole different level than anyone else's cooking…"

"About that," Isshiki said. "I feel I haven't been completely forward with you, Soma-kun. Pleas let me re-introduce myself: I am Isshiki Satoshi, 7th seat of the Elite Ten."

"Elite Ten, huh?" Soma asked. "That makes sense."

"Now I'd like you to get serious, Soma-kun," Isshiki said. "Show me just what you can put on a plate."

Soma smiled. "My pleasure."

* * *

Yuki was walking Megumi out from the bathroom when she heard a commotion in the kitchen. Bringing Megumi with her, she came in to see Isshiki, Ryoko, and Ibusaki watching Soma cook in nothing but his headband and Isshiki's spare apron.

 _Huh,_ Yuki thought, _his ass is a lot nicer than Isshiki-senpai's…_

"Ah! Yuki-chan! Megumi-chan!" Isshiki said. "Come, join us! Soma is preparing some wonderful food."

"Let me guess," Yuki said, sitting Megumi down on one of the stools near the counter. "You started this, Isshiki-senpai?"

Isshiki just smiled, but Ryoko and Ibusaki nodded their heads.

"He does this every time," Ryoko said. "But it looks like Soma-kun's making something really tasty. Worth sticking around for."

"You bet!" He said, presenting the finished dishes to his audience. "Five servings of Yukihira secret menu item number twenty. Oagario!"

Everyone dug in to the mackerel rice ball. After their first bite, time seemed to stop.

Ryoko was filled with such warmth that she was absolutely sure she would follow Soma to bed that night.

Ibusaki maintained his stoic composure, but began wolfing down the dish in earnest.

Isshiki started crying it was so beautiful.

Megumi didn't realize she was eating anything until the bowl was half empty.

And Yuki found herself planting her lips on Soma's.

Ryoko tore Yuki off of Soma and tackled her to the ground, screaming "It's not fair! It's not fair…"

Isshiki seemed oblivious to the fight around him. He shook Soma's hand, breaking him out of his shock.

"It was a beautiful thaw, Soma-kun."

Soma smiled at the half-naked, crying man. "Thanks, senpai. Yours was great too."

Megumi lowered her bowl to see Isshiki and Soma, both in only aprons, shaking hands, Ryoko and Yuki rolling around on the floor pulling at each others' hair, and Ibusaki just sitting there watching the whole thing like a creep.

 _Huh,_ she thought, thinking clearly for the first time that night. _Soma's ass_ is _nicer than Isshiki's._

* * *

Omake

Soma, Diago, and Marui were all down in the basement of Polar Star bright and early, where a small home gym was set up in the corner.

 _This is the day,_ Marui thought. _This is the day I stop being a complete wuss._

"Alright Marui!" Diago said with way too much enthusiasm. "First, we need to see how strong you are right now."

"R-right," Marui said, nervously. "How are we going to do that?"

"Same way I did," Soma said, nodding at the dumbbell rack. "Start small and go from there."

Soma watched as Marui tried curling the 5 pound (2.3 kg) dumbbell. After a few failed tries and some advice from Soma, he finally did his first few repetitions. His arms were on fire, but this new sensation of physical success filled Marui with encouragement.

"Yeah!" He said, dropping the weights on the ground. "What's next?"

Soma smiled. "That, again."

Marui looked confused. "Uh, what?"

"You're doing another set of curls. The repetition, more than anything else, is what's going to make the results stick."

"O-oh…" Marui said, his enthusiasm gone. "That's going to be hard…"

"But worth it in the end," Soma said. "How many onions did you have to dice before you finally got good at—"

"Yo, Soma!" Diago said, racking the barbell for squats. "Can I get a spot?"

"Sure," Soma said. He turned to Marui. "You're going to be doing these once you get a bit stronger. Try to watch Diago's form; it's really easy to hurt yourself if you do these improperly."

"A-alright," Marui said.

Diago put the 400 pound (182 kg) barbell across his shoulders and stood up. With a grunt, he lowered himself halfway to the ground and stood back up.

Marui crumpled to a heap on the floor, exhausted from just _watching_ Diago work out.

Over on the stairs, Shoji, Ryoko, and Ibusaki were snickering at the genius of Polar Star.

"This is too funny," Shoji said. "Totally worth waking up for."

"This can't possibly get old," Ryoko said.

"Mm," Ibusaki said. "Next time I'll smoke some popcorn."

* * *

A/N: Hi folks! I appreciate the support so far, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. For those asking, I won't spoil/reveal pairings; I think doing that will ruin a lot of the fun I can have while writing this. I'll have the next chapter up around July 28th.


	4. Chapter 4 - Saving Private Don, Pt 1

Mito Ikumi stormed into the Don RS clubroom. Konishi jumped up from his seat, and Ikumi backed him into a corner. She slammed one of her boots onto the wall, and watched as the useless senpai jumped in terror.

"So, Konishi-senpai," Ikumi said with a devilish grin on her face. "Do you want to do it with me?"

Konishi gulped.

Ikumi licked her lips. "…Shokugeki?"

"Man, that is the boldest come-on I've seen since I got here," Soma said, watching the entire ordeal. "I've been propositioned by a lot of girls, and I gotta say that your aggression towards Konishi-senpai puts all of those confessions to shame."

Ikumi backpedaled at that, her face flushing red. "W-what? No! That's not—"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you want Konishi-senpai to ask you out."

Ikumi was redder than a raw steak. "No! No no no! I'm here to wipe this trash RS off the face of Tootsuki—"

"Trash?" Konishi asked.

"Exactly," She said, regaining her composure. "No matter how much effort you put into a don, they'll never be anything more than common B-class gourmet trash. A dish like that doesn't belong at Tootsuki."

Konishi clenched his fist, and muttered under his breath. "Damn you Nikumi…"

Soma saw a blur of motion from Nikumi. Her cleaver was in her hand, Konishi looked pale as a ghost, and the front half of his pompadour hair was on the floor.

"Call me Nikumi again," she said. "Come on, I _dare_ you."

"Would you rather I call you meat-meat?" Soma asked.

Nikumi flushed red again. "Quit it with the meat puns and just accept the damn shokugeki so I can wipe your sorry asses off of Tootsuki once and for all."

"Wait," Soma said. " _You're_ challenging the RS? Who even _are_ you?"

"That's Mito Ikumi," Megumi said. "She's known as the meat master—"

"Heh. Meat master," Soma chuckled. "Makes sense."

Megumi continued, ignoring Soma's joke. "She has family connections in the meat industry, and I don't think she's scored less than an A on any assignment involving meat."

Ikumi smiled. "That's right, dropout! No matter what dish you try to create, you'll never beat my high quality meat—"

"Ok, I'm going to stop you right there," Soma said. "First off, you _really_ need to stop it with the innuendos. 'Beat your meat?' Do you want _anyone_ to take you seriously?"

"U-um, I—"

"Second, a chef's value isn't in their ability to use high quality ingredients. It's about making a dish taste good, regardless of what you have to work with." Soma put a reassuring hand on Konishi's shoulder. "Let me handle this, senpai. The way she's acting, anyone with half a brain could beat her meat blindfolded."

Nikumi was visibly angry. "I— You…!"

"Come on, meat master," Soma said, waggling his eyebrows. "Think you can take me?"

"Expulsion!" Nikumi shouted, unable to hold back her rage. "If I win, you leave."

"Sure. But if I win, Don RS gets a bigger budget, Konishi and I get to call you Nikumi without consequence…" Soma grinned, "and _you_ join Don RS."

* * *

Erina sat at her desk, legs crossed, casually twirling a pen in her right hand.

"So," she said to Ikumi. "That's your plan?"

"Mm. That annoying transfer trash wont be able to stand up to the quality of A5 aged wagyu."

Erina pursed her lips. Ikumi was a decent chef, and one worth having in her faction, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the transfer student would pull out a surprise upset. The analysts at _Tootsuki Sports_ put a 98% chance of victory on Ikumi, given that they were competing with meat dishes, but the analysts didn't know a thing about Yukihira— ne, the transfer student, other than what was in his school record. They hadn't tasted his dish at the entrance exam.

And that man still irritated her. It was not worth her using his name until he knew his place.

Erina put her pen down. "I advise you to take this seriously, Ikumi. You know the consequences should you fail."

"Yes, Lady Erina. I will test and retest my dish at once."

"Good. I want you to destroy that man. Beat him so badly that he never picks up another knife."

Ikumi left, wondering why Erina seemed to think she would fail. The Meat Master, fail when competing with a meat dish? Impossible.

Hisako closed the door behind her. "Erina-sama, the next order of business is—"

"Hisako," Erina said, "I want to have a custodial team ready to clean out the kitchen we're loaning her the day of the shokugeki."

"You expect Ikumi-san to lose?"

Erina picked up her pen and started twirling it again. "I'd like to be wrong. But you ate his entrance dish. Do you disagree?"

Hisako shuddered at the pleasant memory of that bowl of rice. "I'll set that up right away, Erina-sama."

* * *

 _Group Chat: Polar Star_

 _[Soma]: Hey guys! I need taste-testers and practice opponents for my upcoming shokugeki on meat dons. Who wants to help?_

 _[Ryoko]: I'll help!_

 _[Yuki]: Me too!_

 _[Isshiki]: More cook-offs coming to Polar Star? Wonderful! I'll judge_

 _[Megumi]: It goes without saying that I'm in, Soma-kun_

 _[Marui]: Sure, this could be educational!_

 _[Soma]: You guys are the best! Let's keep it low stakes for now; I've got some experimenting to do. Let's say losers share laundry duty for the week?_

 _[Ryoko]: Low stakes? So that means we can't ask for a kiss if we win?_

 _[Yuki]: You slut! I kissed him first! He's mine!_

 _[Soma]: …_

 _[Diago]: Attaboy, Yukihira!_

 _[Megumi]: Um… W-what?_

 _[Ryoko]: I'll gladly take on all comers, Yuki. You know you can't beat me ;)_

 _[Shoji]: Ladies, please, there's enough man at Polar Star to go around_

 _[Ryoko]: In your dreams, Shoji_

 _[Yuki]: I'd rather sleep with Marui_

 _[Marui]: …Wait, what?_

* * *

Alice barged into Erina's office the same way she always did: loud, proud, and obnoxious. Ryo followed her close behind, a typical blank look on his face.

"Mou, Erina!" Alice whined. "Why are you such a meanie?"

Erina took a deep breath and rallied the scraps of patience that hadn't been destroyed by the incompetents she had just finished taste testing for. "Alice, I haven't bothered you at all this week. What could I have possibly done this time?"

"Well, at least I'm glad you agree we should spend more time together," she said with a smirk, continuing before Erina could reply. "But I'm talking about sending one of your pawns off to fight an impossible battle. Why are you so mean to your underlings?"

Erina rubbed at her forehead. "You're talking about Ikumi's shokugeki with the transfer student?"

"Yea, her suicide mission."

"Wait," Erina said, confused. "You've never tasted his food. How do you know…?"

"I saw ojii-san's shredded robe after the transfer exams," Alice said, matter-of-factly. "And Ryo saw him put a smile on Chapelle-sensei in class. None of your underlings can do that. They can't even come close. So why are you so mean! Giving them an impossible task like that…"

Erina gave Alice a cold glare. "Ikumi's job was to take down Don RS. _She_ got the transfer student involved on her own—"

"And on another note, why won't you say Yukihira-kun's name? You sound so heartless when you do that."

"Well, Alice, I have to be heartless. I cannot let my emotions or attachments interfere with my ability to judge the imperfections of each dish I taste."

"And there you go again," Alice said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Always focusing on the negatives. Where's the Erina that would come play dollhouse with me when we were four years old? Where's the Erina that would enjoy food, even if it was imperfect, when it was made by people who love you?"

Erina rolled her eyes. "Are you still sore about that cake? We were four. You clearly had no idea what you were doing—"

"See, there it is again! Why can't you just _try_ to be happy for once in your life?"

"When Tootsuki is free from students and organizations that exist just to waste its resources, I will be happy. Until then, Alice, I have work to do."

Alice turned and stomped out of Erina's office. She had hoped that Erina would listen one of these times; that she didn't need to go so far as to beat her in a Shokugeki to show her how wrong she was about everything. But that hope was slowly dying, and if Alice wanted to be good enough to beat Erina, she would need practice. Lots of practice.

"Ryo," Alice said. "We're doing another match. Right now."

He nodded, as he always did. "Yes, miss."

* * *

"Well, here we are, senpai!" Soma said as he and Konishi arrived at Polar Star.

"Hmm, this place sure is… uh, rustic," the upperclassman said.

Soma grabbed the many bags of groceries and ingredients off of the handlebars of Konishi's scooter and started toward the door.

 _Man, getting to Polar Star is so much easier with a pair of wheels,_ Soma thought _. I gotta get me one of those._

"Well, Konishi-senpai, let me give you fair warning: some of my dorm mates are… strange."

Konishi arched and eyebrow as he opened the door for Soma. "Strange how?"

"Ah! Soma-kun! Welcome home!" Isshiki said, dressed in nothing but his apron and petting a rather large rabbit sitting in his arms.

Soma chuckled. "Good afternoon Isshiki-senpai. Do you know Konishi-senpai?"

"Oh, of course! We were roommates during the first year training camp."

Konishi had a blank look on his face. On one hand, the Seventh Seat of the Elite Ten was helping them prepare for this upcoming shokugeki. On the other, Konishi was all too familiar with Isshiki's quirks… He decided to just keep things professional. Nobody wanted to remember what happened at camp last year.

"Afternoon, Isshiki-san. I appreciate your help here."

Isshiki smiled. "Of course, Konishi-san! I would do anything to help my kouhai."

"Great," Soma said. "Let's get to it, then!"

* * *

Soma watched Isshiki and Ryoko snicker quietly as they presented their votes. Yuki defeated him, 2-1, with Konishi the sole vote for Soma.

"What?" Soma asked, questioning the results. "That beef don was delicious!"

"Now now, Soma-kun," Isshiki said, handing over his spare apron. "I said I'd judge these matches. I never said I'd do it _fairly_."

Soma just stood there dumbfounded. "That's… Oh come on!"

Megumi, sitting on the judges' table with one leg over the other, burped in his face after a rather large swig from her bottle. "Oh, please, Soma-kun. You know Ryoko's just dying to see you back in that apron, and given what I saw last night I can't say I blame her."

"Not you too, Megumi!" Soma said, grabbing the bottle from her. "It's three in the afternoon, and you've already polished off half a bottle of rice juice!"

Megumi deftly snatched the bottle back. "Yeah, and at this rate Isshiki and the other girls will have you in nothing but a fundoshi by five. Remember what happened the last time I saw you naked while sober?"

Konishi just pretended that he was invisible as the bickering continued. Leave it to Isshiki to gather the other weirdos of Tootsuki to him. The don of Don RS wanted nothing to do with any of that.

He went back to focusing on the food. Soma's beef cutlet don had a nice flavor and a rich, creamy texture thanks to the mix of chicken and quail eggs, but it lacked the impact that Nikumi's meat dishes were known for. On the flip side, Yuki's duck katsudon had great impact because of the fatty duck, but the flavors weren't terribly refined and there was still a little gaminess to it. Soma's dish was definitely the victor, despite the other judges' votes, but it wasn't good enough to beat Nikumi. Not yet, anyway.

Soma re-entered the kitchen, clad only in Isshiki's spare apron - his price for losing. Konishi kept telling himself that he was here for the RS, and that their crazy wouldn't rub off on him. That this was a necessary evil to defeat Nakiri Erina and save Don RS. But once Soma and Isshiki started dancing in a kick line, Konishi knew that this night would just get weirder.

"Tadokoro-san," the upperclassman said. "Are there any more bottles of rice juice?"

"Oi! Ryoko!" The blunette called. Ryoko turned from watching Isshiki and Soma dance.

"Sorry to distract you from your, uh, 'show,'" Megumi said, "but do you have another bottle? Konishi needs a little help getting comfortable."

"Oh, sure. One sec," Ryoko said. She darted out of the kitchen, giving Konishi a direct view of something he never wanted to see again.

 _Huh,_ Konishi thought. _Soma's ass_ is _nicer than Isshiki's._

* * *

Omake

Earlier That Morning…

Megumi was trying to enjoy her morning soak in the bath, made difficult by the hangover from the night before. She sipped at a blend of fruit juices while trying to rub away the splitting pain in her forehead. Ryoko had warned her about drinking too much rice juice, but that Yukihira Soma just had to walk in on her in the bath last night…

 _That_ thought brought a slight blush to her cheeks, and she moved to sit where her back would be facing the door. At least if Soma walked in on her now he wouldn't get a full show.

"At least you can't ruin me for marriage, Mr. Duck," Megumi said, poking the rubber toy's beak.

"Wait, what now?" Yuki said, full of curiosity as she opened the door to the bath. "Did you and Soma-kun…?"

Megumi's cheeks turned bright pink. "N-no! How could you think—"

"Relax, Megumicchi, I'm kidding," Yuki said, getting into the bath. "Ah, this feels so nice after last night."

"Wait," Ryoko said from the other room. "Yuki-chan, did you and Soma-kun…?"

"I wish," Yuki said. "I doubt he even noticed I kissed him."

Ryoko entered the bath and gave Yuki a fake smile. "No fair. I haven't even—"

Both Yuki and Ryoko turned to stare at Megumi, who was apparently trembling in fear at their current conversation topic.

"Megumi, are you ok?" Ryoko asked in a big sister-like manner.

"U-um… Hai," she said, meekly. "My head just hurts…"

"It's about Soma-kun, isn't it?" Yuki asked. "What, do you like him too?"

"W-well, no…" Megumi lied. "I-it's just that, well…"

An image of Megumi's smiling mother appeared in her mind. _'Don't go around showing skin to just anyone,'_ she said. _'Those types of things can ruin a woman for marriage.'_

"Oh, I get it," Yuki said. "Megumi's embarrassed."

"Embarrassed and hungover," Ryoko said. "Are you drinking the fruit juice like I told you to?"

"Yeah," Megumi said, calming down a bit. "It's helping a bit, I think."

Ryoko looked curiously at Megumi. "Hm, now that's interesting. You weren't embarrassed at all last night. You just kinda accepted all the shamelessness going around last night like it was no big deal."

Megumi, though for a moment, then her eyes went wide with horror. "Oh, no… Did— Did I kiss Soma-kun, too?"

"I don't think so, hot stuff," Yuki said, patting Megumi on the shoulder. "You spent a lot of time with me un-drinking your rice juice."

"O-oh… Phew."

Ryoko nudged Yuki with her elbow. "You saw it too, right? Last night Megumi didn't care at all that both Isshiki-senpai and Soma-kun were just in aprons. She didn't react at all when you jumped on his face, either…"

"Hey!" Yuki said. "You ate his food, too! That feeling of being warmed from within…" She blushed, holding her fists tight to her chest. "I-I just never felt that way about a guy before, and—"

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Clearly."

"Hey! You tried to kiss him, too!"

"I didn't just mash my face into his like a stupid…"

Megumi sat there, red as a tomato, watching her dormmates argue about who has dibs on Soma. She sank into the water, trying her very best to be small and invisible. She thought about the feeling she got when eating his mackerel rice ball too… How it made her feel much less alone so far form home. How it made her feel that, despite all the horrible things Soma had done to her that day, that he was worth making sacrifices for. How his smile made her face flush red and…

 _Baka, Soma-kun,_ she thought. _I can't have feelings for…_

And as soon as that thought crossed her mind, the young redhead opened the door to the bath.

All three girls shouted in unison. " _Get out you perv!_ "

* * *

A/N: As always, I appreciate the support, folks. Expect the next chapter around Aug 4th.

Hikari: The 303-304 room change was intentional.

TigerWarrior: I have plans for just about everyone in 92nd gen, and many others outside that group.

Kirisuna: That is _exactly_ what I'm going for.


	5. Chapter 5 - Saving Private Don, Pt 2

Soma sat in the back row of his _Introduction to Advanced Food Science_ class, completely ignoring what the instructor was lecturing about. In his notebook, he had a lengthy list of don ideas, most of which were crossed off. The low stakes cook-offs the night before had been useful, but only in removing bad options. Every idea he had written down in the past hour had merit, but he didn't think most of them wouldn't be competitive in a high skill shokugeki. He needed more time.

As Soma was chewing on the end of his pen, a notebook slid in front of him from the girl to his left.

 _That looks a lot more interesting than the drabble our teacher's talking about._

He smiled and wrote a response.

 _Lol, yeah. I've got a shokugeki in 2 days and I need some more ideas to test. Wanna help?_

Soma passed the notebook back to her, and he could see her smirk out of the corner of his eye as she read his note. She scribbled something down and passed it back.

 _I'd love a distraction right now, but I don't think I can be too helpful. Wouldn't want to piss off Nakiri, right?_

Soma frowned as he wrote his reply.

 _You know about that, huh?_

She rolled her eyes as she responded.

 _The shokugeki between you and Ikumi was plastered all over yesterday's edition of Tootsuki Sports. They've got you at a 98% chance of losing, Yukihira Soma._

Soma chuckled to himself as he wrote his reply.

 _I don't think I'll go down that easy. I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve._

The girl smiled as she wrote back.

 _I didn't say I agreed with them, Yukihira-kun. Hell, you made Chappelle-sensei smile. I'm quite curious as to what you'll come up with for dealing with Ikumi._

Soma furrowed his brow as he wrote.

 _You heard about that? I don't remember you being there._

 _One of my friends was. Using honey to tenderize the beef was quite a stroke of inspiration._

Soma started to write a reply, but then a lightbulb went off in his head. He hastily scribbled something down in his recipe book, then wrote his reply.

 _I think I just found what I needed to beat Ikumi! Thanks! What's your name?_

The class bell rang, and before the white haired girl got lost in the crowd of students leaving the classroom, she gave him a smile and a wink.

"Call me Alice."

* * *

"This is really good, Yukihira-kun!" Konishi said after tasting the Chaliapin steak don. "Definitely the best don you've made so far. But in it's current state I don't know if it will beat Nikumi's A5 beef, and we face her tomorrow."

"Hm," Soma mused, re-reading the recipe. "Is it the sauce? The beef? What can I improve here?"

Konishi looked at his watch and nearly yelped. "Oh, crap! Yukihira-kun, I gotta go. If I get any ideas on improving that don I'll text you."

"Oh, sure senpai. Have a good night."

Soma lost track of time staring at the recipe in the Polar Star kitchen. It had gotten late, and Soma had thought about every apparent avenue that he could take to improve the dish, but they all felt lacking; like he was missing something. He checked the onions. He checked the beef and the sauce. But the impact wasn't there; he didn't think it would be able to compete with beef one could literally drink.

"Soma-kun? You ok?" Ryoko asked, putting a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Hm? Oh, hi Ryoko-chan," Soma said. "I guess; I think I just need to find ways around all these dead ends in this dish."

"Have you tried rice malt?" Ryoko asked, starting to rub Soma's shoulders.

"I don't see how that would increase the impact of this don," Soma replied, relaxing his back onto Ryoko's fingertips. "I could try to go in more of a malted steak direction, but that would interfere with the tenderizing onion marinade, and the balance would change dramatically. I don't know if it would be any good."

"You could always try it and find out," she suggested. "I'll even let you use some of my best batch for it."

"Thanks but no thanks, Ryoko-chan," Soma said. "I don't think your best batch would be cheap enough to make a truly great don."

"Why would cheap ingredients merit a better don?" Ryoko asked, now using her elbows to rub out a rather tough knot in Soma's upper back.

"It's not that using good ingredients would result in a worse don," Soma explained. "It's that when you stray from the ideology of fast, tasty, and cheap, then the dish stops becoming a don. Ikumi's going to be using top-yen beef; I need to beat her with the don as a whole."

"Oh, well that makes quite a lot of sense actually," Ryoko said, taking a step back from Soma and giving her arms a stretch. "Your back doing better?"

Soma rolled his shoulders, and Ryoko noticed how his muscles rippled under his shirt. He turned to face her, a half-smile on his face.

"Yeah, it feels wonderful. Thanks, Ryoko-chan."

"You know, I could demand payment," she said as the corner of her lips tucked up into a faint smile. "How about a kiss?"

Soma chuckled. "Here's a counteroffer: how about I don't shoo you and everyone else away when you come watch me workout in the mornings?"

"Mou, Soma-kun. You know that's not at all a fair deal, but I'll take it anyway."

Soma stood up and stretched his hands over his head. "Yeah, yeah, Ryoko-chan. Ask me again once I've had time to process everything. Fumio-san stealing my first kiss and Yuki-chan assaulting me? That was a lot, and this shokugeki isn't helping."

"You know," Ryoko said, arching her back and trying to look a little feline, "You could always just—"

"I think I'm going to steal one of Megumi-chan's lines," Soma said, tapping a finger to his chin. "Something about being ruined for marriage…?"

"Well, I don't think every girl will mind," Ryoko said. "Hell, there's one here right now that's perfectly fine marrying you in that state."

Soma eyed Ryoko suspiciously. "I didn't think it was possible to be more forward than Yuki-chan, but clearly I just don't know women all that well."

Yuki sneezed as she entered the kitchen. "Ryokocchi, Megumicchi's had too much to drink again. It's your turn to take care of her."

"Was it Isshiki-senpai and his fundoshi again?"

Yuki nodded. "Yup. He and Diago-kun were arm wrestling and, well…" She shrugged. "Diago's got turd for brains, but he does have nice shoulders. Megumicchi couldn't handle it."

Ryoko sighed. "I'm not liking this new habit of hers." She turned to Soma. "To be continued?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

She walked out, leaving Yuki looking at Soma with confusion on her face.

"What was that about?"

Soma shook his head.

"Come on, Soma-kun!"

"Yuki-chan, you don't want to know."

"In point of fact, Soma-kun, I think I do want to know. Now, I know you've had a long day, so if you'll just tell me I'll let you get off to bed. Otherwise…" Yuki pursed her lips and made kissing noises.

Soma rubbed at his temples. This wasn't worth fighting over.

"You sure?"

Yuki beamed. "Yup."

"Well," Soma said, taking a deep breath. "I think Ryoko-chan just asked me to marry her."

Yuki's face went red.

"That slut!"

* * *

Soma mentally praised himself as he sat in the bath. Letting the warm water soak into his now loosened back and shoulders was a brilliant idea, and he hoped it would be able to replace some of the sleep he knew he would be missing that night. He still had no idea where to take this dish, and every improvement that popped into his mind ended up eclipsing other flavors in one way or another. He started pouring over combinations, first two, then three tweaks all at once. But every time there was something glaringly wrong about his dish, and he didn't need to waste materials cooking up any of the ideas he knew would fail.

The door to the bath slid open behind him, and Soma didn't bother turning around. He knew there was only one other resident that would even be conscious this late at night.

"Evening, senpai," Soma called. "Or is it late enough for me to say good morning?"

"Last I checked, Soma-kun, I'm not your senpai," Megumi said.

Soma flushed red, locking his neck and refusing to turn around. "Megumi-chan? What are you—"

"Relax," she said, casually. "It's not like you've got anything I haven't seen before."

"But it's the men's block on the bath schedule!"

"That didn't stop you from walking in on me," she said. "Twice."

"Well, sure, but—"

"Soma," Megumi said, annoyed, "I just spent the last 20 minutes throwing up. I feel like I'm trying to give birth to an elephant through my forehead, and it'll take a sailor at least three months to undo the knots in my stomach. You've seen me naked; I've seen you naked. We're not breaking new ground here, so let me have a damn soak."

Soma couldn't find the words to respond before Megumi entered his field of vision. Soma closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the edge of the bath as he heard Megumi enter the water.

"Soma-kun," Megumi said curiously. "You had no issue staring both times you walked in on me. Why look away now? You've already ruined me for marriage."

"I know, I know," he said, lacing his fingers under his head. "But I've got a lot on my mind right now, and you're, um…" He swallowed. "Distracting."

"So you're only modest when you're troubled?"

Soma opened his eyes and stared at the tile ceiling. "Something like that."

"Well, talk then," Megumi said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I, um, well… It's not that simple…"

"Sure it is, baka," Megumi said, casually. "Let me get you stared: Everything was going fine until…?"

Soma took a deep breath, and when he started talking, he even surprised himself about what was really bothering him. "Everything was going fine until Fumio-san stole my first kiss."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Megumi said.

"Isshiki-senpai?"

Megumi shrugged. "Who else?"

"Mm," Soma agreed. "Of course it was him. It's always him. I swear…"

"Focus, Soma-kun,' Megumi said. "Why did Fumio-san's kiss bother you so much?"

"You mean besides the fact that that old hag straight up assaulted me?"

"I doubt the number of wrinkles on her face is what's bothering you so much."

"It's just… Look, ever since I got into middle school I've had to fight to keep girls off me. I got used to their tricksy ways of trying to steal my first kiss. But that afternoon I was exhausted from carrying you up the hill and I had just finished cooking. Fumio jumped me and… I guess I wasn't ready for it."

"So you blame me for that?" Megumi asked in a non-accusatory tone.

"No, not at all. Rerun that day a hundred times and not once would I just leave you unconscious on the side of the road." Soma sighed. "I don't think I'm explaining this properly."

"Well, no reason you can't keep trying until you manage to say something reasonable."

Soma rolled his eyes, then an idea struck him. "Have you ever kissed anyone, Megumi?"

"No."

"So how would you feel if I— no, if Shoji kissed you tomorrow morning before breakfast?"

Megumi pondered that for a silent moment. "We're assuming I've sobered up by then, yes?"

"Ya," Soma said. "Drunk you doesn't really do the whole 'emotions' thing."

"Well, I guess I'd think I was more ruined for marriage than I already am."

"That's it?" Soma asked. "You don't have any expectations at all for your first kiss? You don't want it to be a special moment you can look back on forever? You don't want to think you've wasted all the time you spent fighting off potential lovers just to have that one thing you were waiting for ruined?"

Megumi didn't speak for a long moment. When she finally broke the silence, her words came out as if they were very carefully chosen. "I can see why you're upset, Soma-kun. And Yuki-chan and Ryoko-chan hitting on you all the time probably makes it harder to deal with. But think about this, Soma: what if you first kiss was perfect, but you end up breaking up with that girl and dating someone else? How would that new girl feel if all you wanted to reminisce about was your kiss with another girl?"

Soma closed his eyes. "I… hadn't thought about it like that."

"You'll have a first kiss with everyone you involve yourself with, Soma-kun. There's no reason they all can't be special."

Soma thought about that for a long time. Was he really just overreacting? Was it that simple? That he was upset simply because reality couldn't meet the unrealistically high standards he had set for that moment?

He felt a little relieved to come to that conclusion.

"So what you're saying is that sober you would be perfectly fine if Shoji kissed you out of the blue, because you could still have a first kiss with your dream hunk?"

"Have you met sober me, Soma-kun? I'd flip a shit. Hell, I'd probably flip six shits. Especially if it was that health nut Shoji." Megumi shuddered. "The guy creeps me out."

Soma smiled. "Drunk you is such a hypocrite."

Megumi chuckled. "Drunk me is only part of the whole. You should bring it up with management and see where that leads. I'm sure sober me would _love_ remembering this conversation-"

"Megumi!" Soma exclaimed, leaping across the bath and giving her a fierce hug. "I think you've just given me the idea I needed to elevate the Chaliapin Steak don!"

"Uh, Soma-kun," Megumi said, flatly. "You do realize that we're both naked, right?"

* * *

A/N: As usual, I appreciate the support, and you can expect the next chapter in a week (Aug 11th).


	6. Chapter 6 - Saving Private Don, Pt 3

3-0 Yukihira Soma.

Ikumi stared at the screen over the arena. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had the best beef, amazing rice, and the skill to put them together deliciously… but it wasn't enough. Even with all her skill and expertise, she still lost to this mouthy transfer student.

What made it worse was that he was offering her a portion of his dish.

"Go on, Ikumi-san. Try it," Soma said. "Listen to the story that my don tells."

Ikumi looked at the steaming bowl of food in Soma's hand. A cheap supermarket steak piled with onions and sauce on pickled plum rice. How could something so simple, so pedestrian, beat her perfectly marbled meat? She didn't want to acknowledge that, despite her mastery of quality cuts, there was something she didn't understand in her area of expertise. So she took the bowl, breathing in the aroma of beef and sauce. She cut through the steak with her chopsticks, feeling how easily the tender beef gave way to her utensils. She lifted the food to her mouth and—

And suddenly she wasn't in the shokugeki arena anymore. She was nine, having just received her first teddy bear from her mother, and watching her father tear it to shreds. She was crying while her father ranted about something; she didn't really understand why her teddy bear was such a problem. She didn't understand why she couldn't just hold the soft, fluffy toy and have fun with it.

She returned to the arena, and a smug Yukihira Soma was staring her down, inches form her face. It was a little unsettling, but his eyes burned with a reassuring golden fire that made her feel warm.

"You fell into the same trap I almost did," Soma said. "What's the best thing I can put on top of this rice?" He shook his head. "But that's not what the don is about. The don is a complete package in one bowl. Ignore that, and you haven't made a true don. Each component must come together to form a cohesive whole."

"I… I…" She tried to say something, anything, but words failed her.

Soma smiled. "No worries, Nikumi. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but we're both part of Don RS now." He stuck out his hand. "Let's be friends."

* * *

Alice and Ryo watched from the top of the bleachers as the stadium emptied. None of the students within earshot thought Yukihira Soma had a chance of beating Mito Ikumi in a beef dish, but the scoreboard was there, clear as day for all to see: Yukihira had won by a mile.

"So, Ryo, what do you think?" Alice asked. "Is he worth our time?"

Ryo glanced up at the VIP booth, where a disgusted Erina was getting up from her chair. He didn't know if this was the outcome lady Alice wanted, but it was the first time he had seen Erina be anything other than cold and aloof. Even with his limited observations, it was clear that if there was one thing Yukihira Soma could do, it was get an emotional reaction out of Erina.

But the best way to judge someone's strength was to fight them head-to-head. It was how he came to respect lady Alice, and it would be the best way to judge Yukihira's worth as a chef. It annoyed him slightly that this transfer student occupied so much of lady Alice's attention, and he unconsciously reached for the red headband tied to his wrist to let out the burst of emotion, but Ryo stopped himself before the knot was undone. It would not suit the captain of a ship to be jealous. He would beat Yukihira into the ground like any other riffraff chef that opposed him, because there was only ever room for one captain at sea. Ryo would either be on top, or not be good enough.

And the latter was unacceptable.

"Let's see how he does at camp," Ryo said. "If he survives, he may be worth our time."

"Hmm," Alice said, grinning wickedly. "I'll start making arrangements."

* * *

 _Group Chat: Polar Star_

 _[Isshiki]: Congratulations on your victory, Soma-kun! We should celebrate tonight!_

 _[Ryoko]: I'll take care of the rice juice_

 _[Marui]: Let me guess, it's going to be in my room, right? :/_

 _[Shoji]: Thanks for offering, Marui!_

 _[Diago]: I'll make some appetizers_

 _[Marui]: I wasn't offering, guys. It was supposed to be a joke._

 _[Yuki]: Wow, Marui. Such a generous host_

 _[Ibusaki]: I've got some nice smoked cheeses_

 _[Marui]: Guys, come on, I didn't offer_

 _[Soma]: You guys are great friends! Thank you all_

 _[Yuki]: I'm not eating anything you cook, Diago_

 _[Isshiki]: What time will you be back, Soma-kun?_

 _[Megumi]: I guess I'll take care of the non-rice beverages_

 _[Diago]: Woah, Yuki, whats wrong with my cooking?_

 _[Ryoko]: Megumi good, I'm not letting you near the rice juice tonight_

 _[Soma]: I'm gonna go for a run, but I'll be back after that. Two hours?_

 _[Marui]: Guys, does this really have to happen in my room?_

 _[Yuki]: Diago you couldn't cook your way out of a paper bag_

 _[Megumi]: But Ryoko I want some_

 _[Shoji]: The first step to solving your problems is admitting you have one, Megumi_

 _[Diago]: Yuki oh, its on now. I'll kick your ass in a cook-off_

 _[Marui]: Guys, come on, not in my room again please_

 _[Yuki]: Prepare to get destroyed, Diago_

 _[Isshiki]: See you soon, Soma-kun!_

 _[Marui]: … Guys?_

* * *

Hisako enjoyed the lovely spring weather as she walked back to the Nakiri Manor from the Shokugeki arena. Erina had to run off to a tasting immediately after the match, and that meant the limo was unavailable, but Hisako didn't mind. The sky was bright and clear, and yesterday's rain had helped bring out the lovely smells of spring. Now that she finally had time to herself, she could relax a little, and maybe put in some thought as to why Erina had seemed so agitated of late.

Maybe it was that Ikumi was no longer useful to her? She might not be the best chef, but she was useful in her connections and as an underling. Maybe Erina was annoyed that she had to give up on such a well-connected ally. Or was it the slew of recent sub-par tastings she had to deal with? The last several dozen chefs she had judged were apparently worse than the usual talent level she judged for. Could that be why she seemed upset?

Hisako heard footsteps running up behind her, and she snapped out of her thoughts, turning around. She saw the transfer student - Yukihira, was it? - jogging towards her. His shirt was draped over one shoulder, and she tried very hard not to glance down at his bare torso as he approached. The fact that she had to consciously think about that annoyed her. It wasn't proper for her to be thinking those thoughts, and it wasn't proper for him to be shirtless in public, regardless of how pleasing he was to look at.

No! He was not pleasing to look at. _Not. At. All._

"Hey, secretary-chan!" Yukihira said, slowing down to a walk to match her pace. "What's up?"

That irritated Hisako, and she glared at him. "I have a name, you know."

"Oh, uh, sorry about that," Yukihira said. "I meant no disrespect; we never did have a proper introduction during my entrance exam." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Yukihira Soma, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hisako didn't want to shake his hand, but to ignore him would be rude, and it was beneath Hisako to stoop so low as to be rude to anyone, even him. "Arato Hisako," she said, shaking his hand.

"So, Arato-san," he said. "Where are you headed?"

"Back to the manor," she said, resuming her walk.

"That's quite a ways away, isn't it?" he asked, putting his hands behind his head and matching her stride.

"It's only about a mile farther," Hisako said. "Erina-sama needed the limo for a tasting across town, and it's beautiful out. I don't mind walking."

"That makes two of us," he said. "Is she always this busy?"

Hisako nodded. "Erina-sama has many important duties as an Elite Ten member as well as the scion of the Nakiri family. Decisions, tastings, consultations—"

"So what does she do for fun?" Yukihira asked. It took Hisako a moment to switch gears, and she tried to ignore how rude his interruption was.

"Why are you asking?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well," he said, "I've made a lot of great friends here, and with that a lot of great memories. There's no reason you and Nakiri can't be part of that."

Hisako chuckled. "You're going to have to do better than chatting me up to win Erina-sama's favor, Yukihira."

Yukihira turned red. "That's _not_ what I'm trying to do."

She gave him a smug smile. "You aren't the first to try and get close to Erina-sama through me. You won't be the last, either."

"That's not—" he sighed. "I have no intention of using Nakiri for her connection, or her influence, or whatever. I'd rather make my own way than rely on a handicap like that."

"Erina-sama? A handicap?" Hisako asked, nearly stunned.

"Let me finish," Yukihira said. "For whatever reason, it seemed like Nakiri and I got off on the wrong foot, and every time I've seen her since she's had that scowl on her face like I'm the scum of the earth. I don't know what I did, or if there's anything I can do to fix it, but I _do_ know that it's not good to go too long without laughing or smiling. She just seems like she could use a friend, is all."

Hisako tried to find words, but they just sat dead in her throat.

"Anyway," he said, "It was nice finally meeting you, Arato-san. See you around!"

As Hisako watched Yukihira jog off toward Polar Star, she tried to think of the last time she saw Erina-sama smile. She stood there for what seemed like forever, trying to summon a memory of her smile, but she could not fine one. And that bothered her.

Maybe Yukihira was right.

* * *

Omake

Soma stood in the Elite Ten meeting room, at the end of the table. Nine of them were present; apparently the second seat was off hunting alligators in the United States. Senzaemon sat at the other head of the table, listening carefully as Soma made his case.

"…And so," the redhead concluded, "because of Nakiri-san's 'RS witch hunt,' the seven RS clubs I am now leading have almost no budget, despite the passion for cooking I've seen in their members. So I come to you with the idea to fund the newly formed Common Foods RS: let us serve our dishes to the public."

The Elite Ten began discussing the proposition amongst themselves. It certainly was a unique idea, and one that could bring good publicity to Tootsuki, but that sword was double-edged: if the RS ended up serving food below the customers' expectations, it could hurt Tootsuki's reputation too.

"A vote," Senzaemon boomed, halting the discussion. "Since Erina is quite clearly biased in this matter, she will abstain. Given Kobayashi-san's absence, that leaves us a total of eight votes; in the event of a tie, I will cast the breaking vote. Seat by seat, what say you?"

"Nay," said the first seat. "I don't have much stake in this, but it does open up Tootsuki to substantial risk. I don't see the benefits outweighing the risks if this moves forward as is."

"Nay," Senzaemon repeated. "Third seat?"

"Aye," said the gargantuan third seat. "I see no reason why they cannot try. We can always shut them down if they perform below expectations."

"Aye," Senzaemon repeated. "Fourth seat?"

"Nay," she said, clutching her pink bear. "Yukihira-kun's idea is not cute enough."

"Nay. Fifth seat?"

"Nay." The samurai looked Soma dead in the eyes. "I do not doubt the tenacity of Yukihira-kun, but I cannot expect the same resolve from those under him. This idea is doomed to fail."

"Nay. Sixth seat?"

"Nay," she said, adjusting her round glasses. "I agree with Saito-san."

 _1-4,_ Soma thought. _I know I have Isshiki-senpai's vote, but this isn't looking too good._

"Nay. Seventh seat?"

"Aye," Isshiki said. "I agree with Megishima-senpai. There's no reason to stop them before they can try."

"Aye. Eighth seat?"

"Aye," the short Chinese chef said. "Yukihira-chin seems like he knows what he's doing. Why not?"

"Aye. Ninth seat?"

Eizan sat, still as a statue, contemplating the issue for a long time. Of all the members of the Elite Ten, he was the one who would think through all possibilities, every way this decision could go right, and every way it could go wrong.

"Aye," he said, finally. "This is certainly a risk, but the payoffs to Tootsuki's reputation, as well as access to my consulting, would be massive should they succeed. It costs little enough, and could more than double the number of clients I consult for."

"Aye," Senzaemon said, tallying the last vote. "The vote is tied, 4-4, so I propose a solution that should please both sides. We will allow the Common Foods RS to serve the student body. If they fail to satisfy our students, then Tootsuki's reputation will not be harmed. If they succeed in satisfying our elite chefs-in-training, I believe they will have no issue satisfying the general public."

Every member of the Elite Ten, except for Erina, nodded in agreement that this was a fair outcome of a split vote. Erina just crossed her arms and pouted in silence.

Senzaemon turned to Soma. "Yukihira-kun, you have one month to make satisfactory progress in serving the student body. I expect a detailed report from each subsection of the RS by that time, and your tentative expansion will be decided at that time. You will be allowed to use one of the empty buildings near the main student plaza as your storefront, as well as access to any cooking equipment not in use elsewhere. We expect any additional funds you may need for this endeavor to be made through the club's efforts."

Soma nodded. "Alright! But we're going to need some start-up funds… Do you think we could do a fundraiser?"

Senzaemon smiled. "Oh? What did you have in mind?"

"Can we rent a dunk tank?"

* * *

A/N: Still on time, though later than I'd like. I can't promise the next one will be on time; massive schedule changes at work this fall meant that I got busy three weeks earlier than I was expecting. Still, hope you enjoy and I'll get the next one out ASAP.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Calm Before The Storm

"Soma-kun!"

Soma rolled over and opened his eyes to face his alarm clock. 5:02 AM Sunday morning. He wondered why he was awake.

"Soma-kun, come on!"

"Isshiki-senpai?"

"Come on sleepyhead!" Isshiki called from a hole in the ceiling. "I need your help in the gardens this morning, and we want to get the work done before the sun gets too high."

"But we were up 'till 3," Soma moaned. "I want some damn sleep."

"It's Sunday, there's no class. You can take a nap after we're done."

Soma tried rolling over, ignoring his senpai, and going back to sleep, but the damage had been done. He couldn't fall back asleep if he tried.

"Ugh," Soma said, sitting up. "Next time you let me sleep in."

"Wonderful!" Isshiki said, tossing a small white piece of cloth at Soma, hitting him in the face. "Here's your fundoshi."

"Fundoshi?"

"Of course! I wouldn't wear anything else for farm work. Feeling the fresh morning breeze across your skin is truly invigorating."

Soma was too tired to argue, and slipped into his fundoshi and stumbled down to the farm behind Polar Star. Isshiki handed him a hoe, and he began digging out a new vegetable patch. The work was hard, and Soma was drenched with sweat after only a few minutes, but Isshiki was right: the cool morning breeze felt incredible, and after he fell into a rhythm the farmwork wasn't bad either. It slowly stopped mattering that he had only slept for two hours; the smell of earth and garden was nearly as refreshing as going back to sleep. By six, Soma was wide awake, full of energy, and ready to meet the day ahead.

Ibusaki came outside at around 6:30. He began moving logs from the pyramid pile to his cutting area, where a chainsaw sat waiting on a bed of sawdust. Soma filled a bottle with water from the nearby spigot and wandered over.

"Mornin', Ibusaki-kun!" Soma said. "Need a hand?"

Ibusaki grunted in the negative, flipping a massive log onto his shoulder like it was hollow and carrying it to the cutting area. He rolled it off of his shoulder and onto the supports with another masterful motion.

Soma's eyebrows went up. "Damn, Ibusaki. I bet it takes some muscle to toss logs around like that. You sure you don't want to work out with me and Diago in the mornings?"

He shook his head. "Nah, it's leverage, mostly."

Soma nodded, taking another gulp of water. "And you do all of the processing yourself because it's cheaper?"

"Mm. It's about a third of the price to buy logs instead of smoke chips, and this way I know that nothing strange happens to the wood before it gets dried."

Soma blinked. That was the most he had ever heard Ibusaki say at once. Maybe he just liked talking about smoke. "Is that normally a problem?"

Ibusaki shrugged, starting up the chainsaw and shouting over it as he cut into the log. "It depends. Some of the cheaper companies treat their smoke pellets with chemicals that prevent wood rot and give their product a longer shelf life, but those chemicals can then affect the flavor of whatever you're trying to smoke. It makes a huge difference when you're using the milder woods."

"Oh - the fruit woods, right?" Soma asked, taking another long drink of water.

"Yeah," Ibusaki said, finishing a cut through the log. "Fruit woods like cherry, apple, and peach impart a milder flavor when smoked, and are great for giving poultry and fish a sweeter flavor."

"And the hardwoods are good for bolder flavors, right?"

"Mm. Hickory and maple are great with pork, and give it quite a bit of bold, smoky flavor. And then you have mesquite wood, which is the strongest option - it imparts a lot of flavor, but it's really easy to over do it."

"Huh. I didn't know there was so much depth and subtlety to smoked food," Soma said. "Definitely worth looking into."

Ibusaki gave him a micro-nod as he cut off another slice of log. Soma stretched his arms out, ready to go back to the garden after his short break, when a feminine hand poked him in the shoulder a few times. He spun around to see Ryoko, clad in work-worn overalls, holding a clipboard and smiling almost as bright as the sun.

"Good morning, Soma-kun," she said over the sound of Ibusaki's chainsaw. "Mind giving me a hand with my fermenting trays? It's always easier with two people."

Soma laughed. "Ryoko-chan, I'm tempted to think you just want to get me alone while I'm wearing a fundoshi."

"Well…" Ryoko said, dragging out the word. "I would be lying if that thought didn't cross my mind, but I do need help. The grain trays are awkward to carry by myself because they're so wide. Shoji or Diago normally help out, but…" She glanced at the dormitory, where Soma could almost hear the snoring coming from Diago's room.

He sighed. "Alright, alright. I'm coming."

Ryoko beamed, leading him to the two huts where she malted her grains. They entered the warm, steamy hut, and after Ryoko inspected a few dials and checked a few things off on her clipboard, she turned to Soma.

"Alright, Soma-kun," she said, yawning and gesturing toward a rack of four foot square trays. "We need to carry all of these trays to the other hut so they can dry."

"Huh," he said, grabbing the side of a tray opposite from Ryoko and sliding it out. "These grains are sprouting."

"Of course they are," Ryoko said, leading Soma out of the wet hut. "That's how you malt stuff."

"So you let the grains sprout, and then what?"

Ryoko used her elbow to get the latch on the dry hut, then pushed open the door with her butt. "Once the grains have sprouted, you expose them to dry heat to stop growth."

"And that does what?" Soma asked, sliding the tray into an open slot on one of the stands. They started walking back to the wet hut for another tray.

"Malting breaks down some of the starches in the grain to various sugars, and releases some enzymes that break down the proteins so that yeast can more easily ferment the grain."

"So that's how you get your sake to taste so good?" Soma asked, holding open the door to the wet hut like a gentleman. "You use specially malted rice?"

Ryoko laughed. "It's rice juice, Soma-kun. We're too young to be drinking sake, let alone be making it."

"Sure, sure," he said, putting his hands up in a conciliatory gesture and grabbing another tray. He was somewhat surprised at Ryoko today; he half expected her to jump him as soon as they entered the hut. Maybe she was too focused on her malting grain to notice.

Ryoko tilted her head in curiosity, observing the expressions on Soma's face. "Something wrong, Soma-kun?"

"Hm? Nah," Soma said, scratching the back of his head. "Just thinkin' 'bout stuff. Haven't really had much time to process my thoughts since the Shokugeki."

She flashed him a wicked grin. "Oh? Do I hear a bit of disappointment in your voice?"

Soma laughed. "Maybe a little."

"Well, work first, Soma-kun. Don't want to ruin the batch of grain." She winked at him. "Besides, we'll have an empty hut all to ourselves afterward. And then you can have time to think."

Soma sighed, and began to wonder if either he was just that much of an open book, or if Ryoko could read minds.

* * *

After five long hours of working on the Polar Star farm, Soma was ecstatic when Megumi brought out a picnic lunch. Everyone gathered around the table she had set up, filling paper plates with rice balls and salad. Soma's stomach gurgled loudly enough for Megumi to hear it, and she giggled a little as Soma chomped down on a rice ball.

"Megumi, this food is incredible!" Soma said, through a mouthful of food.

"Well, you're partially to thank for it," she said. "I got the idea to marinade the pork in honey from your improvisation to the Boef Bourguignon we made in Chappelle's class."

"Mm, so that's why it's so tender!" Yuki said, stuffing another rice ball into her mouth.

"And it goes really well with the salted kelp tea, too!" Isshiki said.

"And of course those pea-brains Shoji and Diago are still asleep," Ryoko said. "They'll be disappointed to hear they slept through this."

"Tough titties," Yuki said, grabbing more rice balls and stuffing them in her mouth. "That just means more for us, right?"

Everyone laughed as they watched Yuki pack food into her mouth like a squirrel preparing for hibernation.

"Well, you guys were all out here working so hard on the farm," Megumi said. "I thought it would be a good idea to make some salty foods to help you replenish your electrolytes."

Yuki gave Megumi a hug. "So thoughtful. That's our Megumicchi!"

"Mm," Isshiki agreed, taking a long drink of tea. "Megumi-chan, you seem to have a talent for catering your cooking to the needs of your diners. I think it's wonderful that you put so much thought and care into your food."

Soma nodded his head in agreement, though there was something that Isshiki was missing. Megumi's food didn't only fit their needs, but there was something… warm, about it. It was a difficult feeling to describe, but there was certainly something _more_ to her food - like the feeling of sitting at a fire after a day outside in the snow, or relaxing into a steamy bath after spending weeks out on a stormy sea.

Regardless, Soma couldn't understand why Megumi had trouble cooking in a classroom setting. Her food was fantastic and she shouldn't have any issues with confidence—

Isshiki pulled him out of his thoughts by wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "So, Megumi-chan, I take it you're getting more comfortable around men in fundoshi?"

Megumi, realizing that Soma and Isshiki were wearing nothing but fundoshi, blushed hard, her eyes nervously darting back and forth between the ground and the two almost naked men. "U-um, w-well, maybe a little…"

Yuki grinned. "Oh, come on, Megumicchi. You've got to admit that they're easy on the eyes."

Isshiki laughed. "Now all we need is for Ibusaki-kun to join us." He turned to face the lone male not in fundoshi. "Well, Ibusaki-kun?"

Ibusaki just shrugged, already walking back toward the dorm.

* * *

 _Introduction to Advanced Food Science_ had just ended, and Soma saw a familiar face as he headed out of the building.

"Yo! Alice!" He called, pushing forward through the crowd.

Alice turned around and locked eyes with the redhead.

"Oh, Yukihira-kun! Congratulations on your victory over Ikumi. That was well done."

"Heh, thanks," he said. "I had a lot of help, though."

She eyed him. "Please, Yukihira-kun. I can't have been _that_ helpful."

He shook his head. "It wasn't just you. I did a lot of practice Shokugekis at Polar Star, and they really helped refine my ideas."

"Ah," she said. "Well, it was quite entertaining to read the Tootsuki Sports articles that came out after you won. They still couldn't understand what happened."

Soma shook his head. "Maybe they're too competitive to understand the power of teamwork. I've got next block free. Wanna grab coffee?"

"Hmm, I don't know," she said in a teasing tone, the corner of her mouth ticking up into a ghost of a smile. "That sounds a little too much like a date."

"W-what?" Soma shook his head. "No! Not at all. I'm just thanking you for your help with refining my dish. I am _not_ asking you on a date."

She laughed. "Careful, Yukihira. Deny it too hard and it could easily be interpreted as an insult."

"…Ugh," Soma looked down and shook his head, muttering to himself. "I get hit on all day long and I can't have just one normal conversation with a girl. Just _one_. There's got to be some sort of irony here."

"Well?" Alice asked, still teasing. "Are we going to get coffee or what?"

Soma arched an eyebrow at her. "You're a strange one, aren't you?"

"Mou, Yukihira," she said, feigning a pout. "Would it kill you to learn how to talk to women?"

Soma sighed, defeated.

* * *

Soma and Alice sat at a table outside one of the student cafes. It was somewhat empty in the early afternoon, with most students either in class or not desperate for caffeine.

"Man, is that frappalappagradaccino any good?" Soma asked, taking a sip of his black coffee and trying to ignore the massive hole in his wallet from Alice's expensive drink.

"Of course," Alice said. "Nakiri International patented the method for solubilizing the milk foam and caramel together in the espresso not too long ago. It's helped usher in a new wave of coffee beverages that can cater to all sorts of different taste profiles."

"That's interesting. Does your cooking focus on coffee?" Soma asked.

Alice pursed her lips. How much did she want to share with Yukihira? Letting him know that she was related to Erina might ruin her plan, but she saw no harm in sharing a bit about her background. She'd just have to change topics if they went too far down that road.

"Not quite. My dad is a researcher at the Nakiri International lab in Denmark. Back when I was living at home I'd help him test his theories in the kitchen."

"Man, that must have been cool," Soma said, checking his phone as an email notification popped up. "Oh, hey, the room assignments for camp just got sent out."

"Oh?" Alice asked, pulling out her phone. "What floor are you on?"

"17, and I'm roommates with Marui. You?"

"18. And my roommate is Sakaki Ryoko." Alice looked up form her phone. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah," Soma said, taking another sip of his coffee. "She lives in Polar Star too. She's super nice; you'll get along great. You should definitely join us for our shenanigans too."

"Shenanigans?"

"Yeah," Soma said, texting Marui and Ryoko about the camp announcement. "Polar Star has a work hard, play hard attitude. I wasn't ready for it when I moved in, but it's nice being able to kick back and have fun with friends after a long day of cooking."

Alice remembered how Erina ignored her after she moved away to Denmark, and she hid her face in her coffee cup, trying to ignore the swell of emotions bubbling up. "That… sounds like fun, actually."

Soma gave Alice a wicked smile. "Ask Ryoko about her rice juice. It's delicious."

* * *

Omake

"This… This is so demeaning!" Nikumi said, climbing out of the dunk tank for the seventh time in the last few minutes. She tried not to look at Soma, who was in his swim trunks sitting on the other seat of the platform.

"Hey, I'm getting more dunks than you are," Soma said. "Who would have thought that the other students would pay more money to soak me, eh?"

"Well, you did give that _wonderful_ speech during the opening ceremony," Nikumi said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she sat down next to him on the other trapdoor seat. "They're dunking you because they don't like you. They're dunking me because I'm beautiful and most of our classmates have never seen a girl in a wet bikini before."

Soma smiled. "Would you rather I go sell tickets and put Konishi-senpai up here instead?"

Nikumi flushed red. "Don't you _dare_ —"

The Tootsuki student at the front of the line threw a large ball at the target on Soma's side of the tank, landing dead center and triggering the trapdoor seat Soma was sitting on. He fell into the water, making a show of a big splash, and the Tootski student looked satisfied, pumping his fist in victory. Soma locked his seat back in, climbed up the ladder, and sat back down next to Nikumi, a massive grin on his face.

"You…" Nikumi said. "You're enjoying this way too much, aren't you?"

"Well," Soma said, tapping his finger on his chin in a mock thinking gesture. "The RS needs this fundraiser to be successful, and you asked to help, so I put out the two of us most likely to draw a crowd."

"Don't you get cute with me," Nikumi growled. "You're here because you get to sit next to me for four hours while I'm wearing nothing more than a bikini."

"But Nikumi," Soma said in a low voice, "I can't get cute with you if I'm already this good looking."

Nikumi flushed red, and before she had a chance to respond, a Tootsuki student hit the target on Nikumi's side, releasing her seat and sending her splashing down into the water to the amusement of the onlookers. She yelped as the cold ate her spine, then reset her platform and climbed back up on it.

"At least it's hot out today," she said, half pouting at Soma. "Otherwise, you might be out here freezing your butt off on your own."

Soma gave her a mock bow and spoke sarcastically. "Why thank you for your generosity, miss Nikumi. The RS would be in the most dire of straits without your noble sacrifice to its cause."

"Oh, shut up," she said, blushing. "You don't have to be a jerk about it."

* * *

Shiomi Jun and Hyama Akira were headed back to the seminar building when they encountered a rather large crowd of Tootsuki students.

"Huh," Jun said, curiously. "Hyama, do you know what's going on today?"

He shrugged. "I think it's a fundraiser for a new research society, but other than that I don't know. I think there was an ad for it in Tootsuki Sports last week."

"Let's check it out!" Jun said, grabbing Hyama by the wrist and pulling him towards the crowd.

"Uh, Jun," he said, half resisting, "you know we're tight on funds this year. We can't go spending our budget on a different RS."

"Well, let's just look then," she said. "Who knows, maybe it'll give us an idea for a fundraiser of our own."

Hyama rolled his eyes and let Jun lead him to the front of the crowd. A dunk tank was set up, with lines on either side leading to throwing targets. He could see Ikumi and the transfer student sitting on the dunking platform, and—

And Jun suddenly began plowing her way toward the ticket booth, dragging Hyama along with her.

"That rotten bastard!" Jun muttered, grabbing her wallet. "I'll show that good for nothing Saiba-senpai that he can't just mess with me like I'm a six year old—"

Hyama snatched the wallet out of Jun's hand. She glared at him, her eyes red with rage. He tried to disarm her with a look, and when that didn't work, he deftly picked her up in a bridal carry and stared walking off.

Jun swung her arms and legs about like a child. "Hyama! Put me down! Saiba-senpai needs to know the chilling, dunktastic justice of the amazing Shiomi seminar fastball…"

Hyama sighed as he held his stride toward the seminar building. _Today was going to be a long day_ …

* * *

A/N: Hi all, sorry for taking so long to get this out. Unfortunately, with work picking up, I won't be able to go back to weekly updates, but this story is certainly not dead, and I fully intend to finish it, even if it's a bit slower than I'd like.

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Chapter 8 - Friendship Camp, Pt 1

Dojima Gin cast his gaze over the 92nd generation of Tootsuki students. There were so many this year, but he knew, like any year, that their numbers would shrink. The nervous energy in the room was palpable. Tootsuki was a place where the diamonds in the rough honed themselves against one another, shattering those incapable of making it to the top. Gin's speech had reassured some, but Shinomiya's aggressive firing of the one student with too much hair product had left the group—

He blinked as the students were filing out of the grand hall. Had he just seen—? No, surely not. He scanned the room again, and aside from a colorful cluster of students' hair - bright red hidden behind purple and blue and white - he saw nothing else that would catch his attention. He sighed, not in relief but in disappointment, and walked off the stage to go prep the rest of the alums for their tasks while the students got settled in with their roommates. He pulled out his wallet, looking at a photo from years and years ago, of a friend who had just walked away, from cooking, from Tootsuki, and from him.

Maybe Gin was getting old. There was no way Joichiro would be in the crowd.

* * *

Ryo dropped his duffel bag of clothes at the foot of his hotel bed. The instructors had given them only a short time to drop off their luggage in their rooms before their buses for the first challenge left, but Ryo didn't feel the need to rush. The roommate he had supposedly been assigned was nowhere to be seen, and now that he finally had some space from Alice he took a deep breath and treasured the silence.

Though, now that Alice was on his mind, he couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Sure, she was an excellent cooking opponent, and the many cooking matches they'd had over the years had helped hone both of them into monsters in the kitchen, but… She was always so damn chatty. Always looking to meddle in things best left to their natural progression. Always looking to manipulate others to her advantage through talk and niceties, rather than beating them into submission the way a true predator would—

The hotel room door opened behind Ryo, and he turned to see a skinny, purple haired boy enter the room, his eyes hidden behind ragged bangs, with a bag slung over one shoulder. Wordlessly, the boy nodded at Ryo, dropped his bag at the foot of the other bed, and started going through it, pulling out assorted mason jars full of what looked like wood chips and sorting them onto the top of his dresser.

Ryo observed his roommate for a few moments. He saw that, despite his skinny stature, there was a strength and surety of purpose behind his movements, a silent resolve that most people who hadn't fought their way to the top would easily miss.

And Ryo enjoyed the silence. Like him, his roommate was clearly a man of action. He pulled out his phone, looking through his inbox for the email that listed his room assignment.

"Ibusaki?" He asked.

The purple haired boy nodded, continuing to sort through his things.

Ryo grunted in acknowledgement and introduced himself. "Mmph. Kurokiba."

Ryo saw Ibusaki hold out a fist towards him, and he bumped it on his way out of the room. Ryo didn't see Ibusaki's facial expression or body language change, but he somehow got the impression that his roommate was satisfied.

Maybe this camp wouldn't be so terrible after all. He finally had a place of silence; now all he needed was something to drink that tasted better than the swill ale the sailors gulped down back in Denmark.

* * *

Megumi watched as Soma and Takumi went at it on the ride back from Hinako's challenge.

"Oh, come on, Takumi," Soma said, leaning over the back of his bus seat. "Stop acting so salty. You didn't even lose. Hinako-senpai called it a draw."

"Yukihira!" Takumi grumbled. "I _will_ show you who's the better of us!"

Isami elbowed his brother in the ribs. "Calm down, bro. It's pretty lame watching you get fired up like this over nothing."

A couple of the other students within earshot of the conversation giggled.

Takumi's face went red, and he shot Isami an icy glare. "Bro, you are _not_ helping right now—"

"Soma's right, Takumi-kun," Megumi said. "All three of you are incredible chefs. There's no reason we can't all be friends."

Soma frowned at Megumi. "Oh, come on, Megumi. Don't sell yourself short. You're a great chef too."

Isami gave her a warm smile. "It's a lot harder to be a support chef than it looks. Takumi only talks a big game because he knows I'm right there with him."

A vein popped out of Takumi's forhead, and he started shaking his fist at his brother. "Why you…!"

Soma pointed his thumb sideways at Isami. "He's got a point, Megumi. I would've been toast if I didn't have you as a partner. So what if you prefer a supportive role? Those are the hardest to master anyway."

Megumi looked confused. "They are?"

Soma and Isami both nodded. "I supported dad for the nine years I worked at Yukihira," Soma said. "Cooking with others becomes much less about who the lead chef is. Everyone working together needs to come together and create something more than just what each individual can put on the table."

A smug grin returned to Takumi's face. "Well, Yukihira, I'm glad you acknowledge such brilliance after watching Isami and myself in action."

Soma and Takumi started bickering back and forth, and Isami just shrugged at Megumi.

"I guess the ego just comes with the territory, eh?"

Megumi fiercely shook her head. "Soma-kun can be hotheaded at times, but that doesn't take away from his character. He… He has a way of elevating everyone around him." She had to fight back tears, remembering how she was so close to failing out of Tootsuki until an unlucky pairing turned into… Well…

"Oi, Megumi!" Soma said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You think the others will be cool with the Aldinis joining us for our party tonight?"

"U-uh," she stuttered, trying not to freeze up and turn red. "I'm sure everyone would be more than happy to make new friends."

"Awesome!" Soma said, turning back to Takumi with a mischievous look on his face. "You just _need_ to try Ryoko's rice juice…"

Megumi gulped. She knew all too well where that line of thinking leads…

* * *

Soma stood in the hallway, looking over a map the the baths and trying not to let this little mishap ruin his camp. It was entirely his fault that he let Isshiki-senpai help him pack, and he shouldn't have been surprised when his swim trunks were somehow swapped with his fundoshi. No matter; he was going to the baths anyway. As long as he covered himself up with the bathrobe provided by the resort's spa services it wouldn't matter what he wore under it, even though the idea of running around the resort in nothing but fundoshi seemed freeing, in a sense.

Maybe Isshiki-senpai was rubbing off on him. But was that a good thing? Would Soma find himself creeping on the rest of the dorm through the ceiling soon enough? He shuddered to think how Fumio-san and the rest of Polar Star would deal with a second Isshiki.

Soma clapped himself on the cheeks. It had been a long day, and exhaustion was beginning to set in. He needed to refocus, not let his mind wander off into idle thoughts here when he could have the bath all to himself. He looked at the map again, following the directions to the baths and ignoring the singing that he heard coming from around the—

Erina Nakiri skipped around the corner and straight into Soma. She bounced off of him, lost her balance, and reached out in a desperate reflex to grab hold of something before she fell. Her hand grabbed the sleeve of Soma's bathrobe, and as she went down, the robe did too.

Soma stood unmoved by the collision, trying to keep the annoyance off his face. Erina Nakiri had rarely been pleasant towards him, let alone even polite. Did he have the patience to put up with her attitude? Maybe. It had been a long day; and blowing up now wouldn't make him feel any better, and it might spoil his bath if he went far enough to feel bad about it. Though, that didn't mean he couldn't have fun with this. After all, it wasn't every day that Erina Nakiri disrobed someone, accidental or otherwise.

After all, he knew what the girls of Polar Star thought of his aesthetics.

"Oh, hey Nakiri," Soma said, as if it were just a normal encounter in the hallway. "What's up?"

Erina shook herself out of her daze, and realized that she was sitting on the ground next to Yukihira Soma wearing only a fundoshi, holding his bathrobe in a deathgrip, and with her bathrobe far too open to be decent. Her face flushed red.

"Yukihira-kun!" She yelled, drawing her robe closed around her chest. "How dare you…"

"How dare I stand here trying to find my way to the bath?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at her. "I didn't know standing still was such a crime."

She crossed her arms in annoyance, her eyes darting shamefully between the almost naked Soma and the floor. "I was going to comment about the indecency of your current state of dress."

Soma let out an exaggerated sigh. "First of all, I'm headed to the baths. _Of course_ I'm in my bathing clothes. Second, I was wearing a robe, right up until you tore it off me." He gestured at the robe still in Erina's hand. "If you don't like my current state of dress, you could always give me my robe back."

As Erina was reaching up to hand Soma his robe, Hisako rounded the corner. Her eyes widened at the scene, and her face flushed red as she started noticing parts of Soma that the proper part of her didn't want to know existed. She tried to hide her embarrassment by rushing over to Erina and helping her up.

"Yukihira-kun!" Hisako shouted as she swarmed over to Erina. "W-What is going on?"

"Oh, hi Arato-san," he said. "Nakiri was just a little preoccupied when she came around the corner. She bumped into me and tore my bathrobe off on the way down."

Hisako's face turned beet red as she eyed Erina. "E-Erina-sama?"

Erina threw Soma's bathrobe at him in anger. "Yukihira! Don't make it sound like I'm some sort of pervert!"

He deftly caught his bathrobe and put it back on. "You calling me a liar, Nakiri?"

She glared at him. "No, but don't make it sound like I disrobed you on purpose. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Soma chuckled, picking up the shower bag at his feet and swinging it over one shoulder. "Sure, sure. You know, Nakiri, you've got a nice voice. I'm surprised you don't sing more often."

Erina just stammered out a string of incoherent syllables. The last thing she was expecting from Yukihira was a bloody _compliment_.

Hisako didn't know what to say either, and both girls just watched him walk off towards the baths as he sang "bathy bath, plungy plunge" out of key.

* * *

Soma, Diago, Ibusaki, Yuki, and Ryoko all sat around a deck of cards in various states of undress. Soma was shirtless, Diago was down to his underwear and one sock, Yuki was braless, Ryoko was missing her pants, and Ibusaki, still fully dressed, had all of the missing articles folded and stacked in front of him like poker chips.

"I swear," Alice said, watching the game in fascination next to Megumi. "If Ibusaki-kun doesn't make it through Tootsuki, he'll have an easy time as a professional poker player."

The corner of Ibusaki's mouth ticked up into a faint grin as he shuffled and dealt. "Well, it's easy to smoke the competition when I'm up against amateurs."

Yuki rolled her eyes as she peeked at her cards. "You've been waiting all night to say that, haven't you?"

Ibusaki hid his grin behind a cup of Ryoko's rice juice.

"Say," Diago asked Soma as he took his sock off and put it in the pot. "Where's this Aldini guy you wanted us to meet? He showed up for like five minutes and then ran off."

"Takumi can't handle his booze like a real man," Megumi said, taking another swig from her bottle.

Ryo was sitting between Megumi and Alice, his red headband nowhere to be found. Megumi passed him the bottle, and he took a swig for himself.

"What a little bitch," he said, letting out a quiet burp.

Megumi took the bottle back and gulped down another mouthful of rice juice. "At least that pretty boy isn't embarrassing himself in strip poker."

"Oi," Diago said as he got up after losing the hand. "I feel like that was somehow a shot at me."

"Well, there's reason enough for it," Ryo said. Everyone laughed, and Megumi waggled her fist at him. He bumped it nonchalantly.

"Yo! Kurokiba!" Soma said as he shuffled and dealt, wearing Yuki's bra on his head like a cap. "Want to be dealt in for the next game? Diago's outta clothes, and we've got an open seat."

He shook his head, and took another swig as Megumi passed him the bottle.

Soma turned to Alice, beckoning at the empty space in the circle next to him. "Alice? How about you?"

She giggled as Ikumi refilled her cup from another bottle of rice juice. "In your dreams, Yukihira."

"Suit yourself," he said, shrugging as he turned to Ikumi. "Nikumi?"

She shook her head. "I've got a bet going with Shoji-san on who Ibusaki-kun cleans out next."

Soma smirked at her. "You just want to see me in fundoshi, don't you?"

Ikumi's cheeks flushed red, and Ryoko laughed. "We _all_ want that, Soma-kun."

Soma turned and eyed Ryoko. "Even Ibusaki?"

Ibusaki shrugged, patting Soma's folded shirt like it was obvious.

Alice burst out laughing, nearly spraying everyone with rice juice. "That's adorable! Ibusaki-kun is such a hustler!"

He shrugged as if Alice's statement was self-evident, then picked up the deck and started shuffling it with one hand as he refilled his cup of rice juice.

Yuki crossed her arms and glared at Ibusaki. "Showoff."

Ibusaki kept shuffling as he took another sip. "Who's getting dealt in?"

Soma tapped his hand twice on the floor as he got up. "Not me. I'm out."

Yuki glared at him. "But you've still got my bra!"

Ryoko gave her a disarming smile. "So don't bet your shirt."

Omake

Erina resisted the urge to pout as Hisako took a card from her hand, leaving her stuck with the old maid for the third time in a row. Hisako had gone through a lot to get these cards, and even though Erina kept losing, the game was still fun, in a way.

But she absolutely _hated_ losing, even to Hisako.

A thought struck her as Hisako shuffled up for the next game. "Hey, Hisako," she said, trying to keep a pout off her face. "Why don't we play a different game?"

"Oh, sure, Erina-sama," she said. "How about go fish?"

Memories of the last time Erina played go fish with Hisako flashed in front of her vision. She lost all seventeen games, never scoring more than two points.

"I was thinking something more like poker," Erina said. "I hear it's a popular game, and I should probably learn to play it eventually."

Hisako arched an eyebrow at Erina. "Poker is a betting game, Erina-sama, and is usually played with at least four people. Even if we had enough players, we don't have anything to bet with."

"Oh," Erina said, trying not to pout through a sudden flash of curiosity. "Do people normally bet things other than money?"

Hisako nodded. "All the time. Playing for money is against the gambling laws in Japan, anyway - you'd have to find a Yakuza casino for that. But snacks and candy are common stakes in friendly kids games, with some of the rowdier groups in high schools and universities going so far as to bet their clothes."

"Their clothes?!" Erina asked, as if Hisako just revealed a massive scandal. "Why would anyone do such a thing?"

Hisako shrugged as she kept shuffling. "They don't do it to keep the clothes. It's more about keeping those who've lost in their new state of undress for the rest of the evening."

An image flashed across Erina's mind of Yukihira Soma in his fundoshi from earlier that evening. She beat it into submission before any embarrassment could be detected on her face. "So… People play poker to disrobe others?"

"Mm," Hisako agreed, "though motivations can vary wildly. Some do it to try and get a better look at a love interest, while others do it just to embarrass the losers."

"Hm," Erina thought, imagining a resounding victory over Yukihira Soma, forcing him to spend an evening in perpetual embarrassment without any clothes. She smirked as the image of Yukihira in his fundoshi after having lost over and over to Erina in poker. It didn't matter that he was so damn attractive. What mattered was that Erina was victorious over him, and it was plain as day for everyone to see.

"Hisako," Erina said coldly, a fire burning in her eyes. "Teach me how to play poker."

* * *

A/N: Whew, this fall has been rough. Still writing though, and I have a lot planned for camp. Hope you enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9 - Friendship Camp, Pt 2

Megumi watched Soma amble over to where she was sitting on the floor after he wished Alice, Ikumi, and Ryo a good night's sleep. He was still shirtless, but by now she had seen him naked often enough that it was easy enough not to stare.

And at least he was wearing pants.

"You good, Megs?" he said, nodding at the half-empty bottle as he sat down next to her. "You've been quieter than normal tonight. Don't want to go too far and hurt yourself for tomorrow's challenges."

Megumi didn't react, sitting there with a distant look on her face. A lot of things had been going through her head, and even though she wasn't in poor academic standing anymore, she still felt like she didn't belong. It took her a long moment to process her thoughts, and when she did start speaking, her words came out slow and remote. "I don't know, Soma. Most of the time when we're in class it feels like I'm just holding you back. That I'm only still here because of you. I'm already on borrowed time."

Soma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He knew Megumi had confidence problems, but… could he even help her with this? They'd only known each other for a few months, and although they've shared some accidentally intimate moments and become quite good friends, he didn't know if any advice coming from him would have the impact it needed.

But that didn't mean he shouldn't try anyway.

"Well, Megumi, I'm not sure how much you value my opinion, but I disagree." He poured himself a drink from her bottle. "I think you're a fantastic chef."

Megumi gave him an expectant look, showing no outward expression of the flip her stomach just did.

"You've been incredible as my partner in Chappelle-sensei's class. I know how hard it is to play a supportive role in the kitchen - it's just as difficult as being the one in charge. But on top of that, your own cooking is…" Soma leaned back in thought, staring at the ceiling, swirling the cup in his hand back and forth. "The first time I had a Tadokoro original dish was that morning in the field, right?"

Megumi nodded, grabbing the bottle of sake to take another swig. Soma intervened, putting a hand on the bottle and giving her an expectant look. Megumi sighed and put the bottle back down.

"I think sober you needs to hear this," Soma said. He thought for a moment, then smiled and added, "well, mostly-sober you, anyway."

Megumi nodded, folding her hands in her lap and resisting the urge to go for the bottle again.

Soma took a deep breath. "You might not realize it, Megumi, but that meal was something special. There was more to the taste than just flavor. It reminded me of dad's cooking, in a way. And Ryoko told me about the dinner challenge tonight. You started out slow, but once those muscleheads started singing your praises you really started kicking butt."

He looked her in the eyes. They were golden and wide and holding back tears. "You're a good chef, Megumi. You've got your share of problems, like we all do, but once you start to believe in yourself I think you'll have the potential to do amazing things. The confidence will come, just give it time."

Megumi didn't quite believe him, but she nodded anyway.

Soma downed the cup of rice juice, yawned, and stood up. "Well, we have a long day tomorrow. I've heard that Shinomiya-senpai is rather ruthless when it comes to judging his challenge, so I want to be at my best." He tilted his head in a 'come along' sort of gesture. "You should get some sleep too."

Megumi sat there as Soma walked out into the hallway, one hand scratching the back of his head. She didn't understand how he could be so relaxed when his and everyone else's cooking careers were at stake.

But Soma believed in her. Hopefully that would be enough.

* * *

Takumi woke up feeling surprisingly rested from the night before. Isami had mentioned something about a party, but Takumi only remembered briefly meeting a few people at Yukihira's behest —

And then Takumi remembered what really happened last night. How the 'rice juice' he drank was really sake, and how he had never been good at holding his vino, even back in Italy. The realization that his secret was out soured his mood a bit, but he still had a long day of cooking ahead of him, and little could truly dampen his spirits when he was at work in a kitchen.

He got dressed, made sure Isami was awake, and went down for breakfast. The lines for food weren't long, but he knew that a flood of Tootsuki students would arrive within the next fifteen minutes. He wanted to already be sitting down when that happened.

"Oi! Takumi!" Someone said as Takumi entered the dining area with his tray of food. He looked around and saw Ryoko waving at him, sitting with a few other faces he recognized from last night. He ambled over to them and sat down.

"Takumi!" The small, bubbly girl exclaimed as he sat down. "We missed you last night."

A look of confusion washed over his face as he stuck his fork into his eggs. "I'm sorry, you are…?"

Ryoko laughed. "Oh, right - you were only there for a few minutes."

Yuki crossed her arms and pouted as Ryoko did introductions, nodding at each person as she went around the table.

"So that's Yuki, Ibusaki, Shoji, Diago, Alice, and Ryo."

Takumi dipped his head in a micro-bow to the table. "Buongiorno."

Alice giggled a little bit, and Takumi arched an eyebrow at her. "Something funny?"

She grinned as she stuck a forkful of egg into her mouth. "It's just refreshing to see another European here. Tootsuki doesn't have many international students, and historically not many have survived their first year."

"Making a lot of assumptions, are we?" Takumi asked, taking a bite of his toast. "And you're from Denmark, are you not? I've never been, but I imagine it's quite different there."

"Eh," she said, taking a sip of water. "For the most part it's just colder. And one of the projects my dad worked on was improving the presses used in making olive oil, so I got to go an a lot of trips to Italy when I was ten. The countryside is absolutely stunning."

"Mou," Yuki groaned. "I want to travel all over Europe…"

Ryo shot her an annoyed look as he kept eating in silence.

"So where's your brother, Takumi?" Ryoko asked. "At this rate he's going to miss breakfast."

Takumi shrugged. "He's awake, but he loves his long showers in the morning. I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the last ones in."

Yuki grinned. "Sounds like Musclenuts and Smoothieboy."

"I'm sorry, who?" Takumi asked.

Ryoko chuckled. "Diago and Shoji. They're also members of Polar Star, and they have a habit of sleeping in for anything but a workout."

"Sounds like they have their priorities in order," Alice said. "Ryo hasn't worked out in a month."

Ryo glared daggers at her, but she didn't seem to notice. He took a bite of his breakfast and spoke while chewing. "If I'd had any time to myself, I would have."

Alice gave him a wicked grin. "Excuses, excuses. You've had plenty of opportunities."

Ryo reached for the red headband tied around his wrist, but Alice shot a hand over and grabbed it first. Takumi watched the whole thing with a mild look of confusion on his face.

Alice shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Now, now, Ryo-kun, don't do something so rash and scare the new friends we just made."

Takumi saw a fire smolder behind Ryo's eyes that belied the calm of his voice. "Yes, miss."

The bell rung, signaling the end of breakfast and for all Tootsuki students to head to their respective busses. Takumi gave his new acquaintances a goodbye as he headed out a different door towards the parking lot where his bus should be. He stumbled into Isami in the hallway, heading the same way while rushing to get his necktie under control.

"Oh, hey nee-chan!" Isami said as Takumi fell into step next to him. "How was breakfast?"

Takumi gave him a pity smile. "It was alright. You didn't miss much with regard to the food."

Isami's stomach rumbled audibly, and he smiled as he scratched the back of his head.

Takumi shook his head as he offered his brother the banana he snuck out of the cafeteria. "Isami, there will come a day when I won't be able to be there for you. You need to get your head about you and start being a bit more responsible with yourself."

Isami sighed as he finished knotting his tie. He grabbed the banana and started eating it, presumably to avoid having to say anything back. It was how he usually responded to Takumi's talks of responsibility - silence.

But Takumi knew that if he kept at it, his brother would see. He hated bringing it up, but he knew that nobody else would. The rest of the family was back in Italy at the _Trattoria_ , and Takumi wanted to do everything in his power to keep Isami from being sent back there before graduation.

* * *

One hour into Shinomiya's challenge, Megumi was still struggling to find a way to make her subpar cauliflower work with the rest of the dish. It was a mad rush to get ingredients at the beginning, and by the time she fought her way to the ingredients table there were only partially oxidized pieces left. She needed a solution fast, too; if she took too long with this one part of the terrine, then she wouldn't be able to assemble and plate it in time to finish.

An idea struck her as she watched Soma walk up and present his dish, but she was distracted. He was the first to present, and she held her breath as Shinomiya took a bite of Soma's dish. Butterflies fluttered about in her stomach. If anyone deserved to stay in Tootsuki, it was Soma.

Shinomiya gave Soma a quick nod, putting the plate of food down on the table he was leaning against. "Acceptable. Pass."

Soma gave Shinomiya a respectful bow. Then, instead of leaving, he walked over to the wall by the door, leaned against it, and let his hair fall forward over his face. He didn't move; he just stood there, not looking at any one individual, but seeing everyone. It made him look dangerous, and Megumi tried not to let his presence unnerve her as she took the bottle of wine vinegar and added a little to the pot of water she was going to blanch the cauliflower in.

Nearly an hour later, after watching every other chef get expelled, Megumi had her dish ready for presentation. She was the last one still working, and Soma had just stood there the entire time, still as a statue, watching and waiting. She took her plate up to Shinomiya, and did her best to hide her shaking as he took a bite.

Soma believed in her. It would have to be enough.

A wicked grin crept onto his face as he pointed toward the door. "Expelled."

Something in Megumi shattered, and she didn't realize she was talking until the words had already left her mouth. "But… But why?"

Shinomiya handed her back the dish, the evil grin glued to his face. "Taste it."

She did. It tasted elegant, and sweet, and as she chewed, each vegetable showcased its flavor in a flash before giving way to the next. As she swallowed, the flavors melded together in a beautiful medley of freshness.

And she couldn't taste anything wrong with it.

'I - I'm sorry, senpai, but I don't understand." she said. "This tastes fine."

Shinomiya reached behind him and grabbed Soma's terrine.

"Here," he said, handing her the plate. "Have a taste."

As she took a bite, Soma got up off the wall and started walking towards Shinomiya, a smug smile on his face.

* * *

THE NIGHT PRIOR

Soma opened the door to the baths, wholly expecting to be able to cannonball in without anyone getting in his way. He took a deep breath as he charged forward towards the baths.

"Cannonbaaaaa—"

And Soma froze two steps from the edge of the water as Dojima Gin turned toward him.

Soma wobbled as he tried to maintain his balance and not fall in. "Oh, hello Gin-senpai. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here so early…"

The words froze in his mouth as he saw the look on Gin's face. It looked like the head of Tootsuki resort had seen a ghost.

Soma looked puzzled. "Gin-senpai? Are you ok?"

Gin regained his composure. "I'm sorry, son. You just look like someone I used to know, is all."

Soma sighed as he stepped into the water. "Let me guess: You knew my dad too?"

Gin looked genuinely surprised. "Your dad?"

Soma cupped his hands, picked up some water, and ran it through his hair. "Yeah. Joichiro Yukihira."

Gin tried to keep the shock from showing on his face. "Ah. I had wondered where Joichiro went."

Soma gave him a confused look as he sat down, the water coming up to his neck.

Gin continued as he stretched out his shoulders, sticking one arm after another up into the air. "Joichiro and I were both members of Polar Star back in the day." He eyed Soma. "I guess that would explain why you're the first one done with the dinner challenge."

Soma shrugged. "Yeah. It wasn't too much different than working a regular night with dad."

Gin laughed. "I had wondered where Joichiro ran off to. And now you're here…" He paused in thought for a long moment. "I can't help but think this was intentional."

Soma relaxed back in his seat, putting both hands behind his head. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

Gin muttered some things that Soma suspected weren't for his ears. He picked up his soap, starting washing under his arms, and waited.

Gin grew quiet for a moment as he rolled his shoulders forward, then looked sharply at Soma, a wild glint in his eyes. "Say, Yukihira, could I get your help with something outside the scope of the camp? It may risk your standing at Tootsuki, but I think it would be a worthwhile challenge for you."

Soma eyed him. "I'm listening…"

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the wait, folks. Hopefully now that I have something resembling free time again I'll try to update more regularly.


	10. Chapter 10 - Friendship Camp, Pt 3

Soma leaned against the desk as Gin and Shinomiya left the office. The shokugeki was set for tonight; Gin had found a basement annex with no cell service that wasn't being used for the camp, as Soma advised. He knew his friends would be searching up and down for him and Megumi, and that could easily distract Megumi from performing her best. He knew that beating any alumnus of Tootsuki would be an incredibly difficult feat, but he had a hunch that Shinomiya, as a former first seat, would likely be his greatest challenge since arriving at Tootsuki.

And he thought that was partly why Megumi was so frozen.

She hadn't ever had to deal with a challenge this great - at least to his knowledge. But he knew that she was an excellent chef, and that the only thing keeping her from demonstrating her true ability to those tasting her food was the pressure she was under.

"Hey, Megumi," Soma said, lifting himself off the desk to stand straight. "You ok?"

Megumi trembled as she spoke. "N-no, I'm not ok, Soma." She took a deep breath before she continued. "I'm facing the former first seat in a shokugeki tonight. I'm scared out of my mind, and if I lose you'll get expelled with me. I, I can't believe you'd be so reckless as to—"

Soma gave her a knowing smile as he cut her off. "As to what? We can win, Megs. I know it."

Megumi just stared at him, confused, as if she didn't understand his words. "Don't you see, Soma? I'm a failure!" She was getting visibly angry, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I couldn't make it through day two of this stupid camp! And what's more, I've now dragged the best chef I know down into a challenge we can't possibly win! Not only am I getting expelled, Soma, but you are too! Don't you see that?"

Soma shook his head. "Megumi, did you even hear what I said last night?"

"Of course!" she said, tears now streaking down her face. "You said my cooking was wonderful. That I deserve to stay in Tootsuki. But clearly—"

Soma cut her off again. "Clearly you weren't listening carefully enough." He reached into his back pocket and tossed her a worn, black notebook. "I said your cooking reminds me of dad's."

She looked confused. "So?"

The corner of Soma's mouth ticked up into a ghost of a smile as he nodded at the notebook. "That notebook is filled with my notes after every match against him. Take a look."

She did. Her eyes went back and forth as she skimmed each page, widening evermore as she continued. "These… You haven't won once, have you?"

Soma shrugged. "And I'll thank you to keep this between us. The rest of the dorm has seen me as some sort of unstoppable force ever since I beat Nikumi. I don't think it would help them any if we shattered their image of me."

Megumi sniffled, but the tears had stopped, and a bit of a smile touched her face. "You… You aren't just saying that to keep your ego, are you?"

He laughed. "Ego? I just showed you that I've lost to my dad four hundred and eighty-nine times in a row, and you're worried about my ego?"

Her mouth opened in shock as she kept flipping through the book. "Four hundred and eighty-nine?"

Soma nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. "Yeah. My dad's incredible. But if I keep working hard I know I can surpass him one day."

Megumi sniffled, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. "So?"

Soma chuckled. "So I think your best is better than mine."

Megumi's eyes went wide as his words sunk in. "W-what?"

"You've got something I don't," he said, simply. "You have a hard time making it come out, but it's there."

She didn't reply.

Soma arched an eyebrow at her. "Megumi? Hello?"

He put his hand on her arm, and with a shriek she jumped back in surprise, still breathing quickly.

"Megumi, are you ok? I'm starting to get concerned."

"O-oh," she said, looking like she didn't realize where she was. Her breathing was back to normal. "Sorry, Soma-kun. I just… I wasn't ready for that."

Soma looked confused. "Are you sure you're ok, Megs? We still have an afternoon session to get through."

Megumi hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and spoke weakly as tears started to well up in her eyes. "No, Soma, I'm not ok."

Soma sat down on the floor, patting the area next to him. "Come sit."

She did, tears silently streaking down her face.

"Megumi," Soma said gently, "I'm here to listen if you wanna talk, but if not, that's ok too. There's an hour or so for lunch before we need to report to our afternoon session, so don't worry about time." He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm you friend. Of course I'm here for you."

Megumi sniffled, her words coming out in a rushed panic. "I - I don't even know. I'm so used to failing and feeling terrible and always being so run down and then you showed up, and now I'm not failing anymore, and it's just so different, and — "

Soma put his hands up. "Woah, Megumi, slow down."

Megumi took a deep breath. "Sorry, Soma-kun. I'm just having a hard time right now."

Soma gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I was one bad grade from failing out when you met me. Now we're getting praised in the honors classes. I — I don't belong here, Soma."

Soma shook his head. "Well, I guess that means we're going to prove two people wrong tonight."

* * *

Diago walked out of the afternoon challenge perplexed. He had been paired with the white-haired girl who was at the party the night before - Malice or something - and Diago didn't know what sort of magical witchery she did to their food, but it was incredible. He had never seen anything like it, and the shapes she made for the presentation were like modern art. It worried him a little, that this was the competition at Tootsuki that he had to match, but he was still here, still surviving, and that had to mean something. Sure, he wasn't the top talent of the freshman class, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep up the long game.

After all, not many Tootsuki students focused as hard on their bodies as they did their cooking. He was playing the long game; when the other students started burning out, he'd be there still going strong. In fact, that was why he took to Polar Star so well. Even if it was the only on campus residence at Tootsuki, and even if there was the stigma that it was for the poorer students who couldn't afford apartments in the area, it was made great by the people that lived there. Ishiki-senpai and Megumi worked every morning in the garden, Yuki kept in shape chasing her animals around, Shoji ran half marathons every morning, and Yukihira was in the basement gym almost as often as he was. Though, Diago was a bit perplexed by Ibusaki; he had no idea how he managed to lift those massive logs while maintaining his scrawny physique. In fact, it seemed to completely defy the laws of physics for —

"Oi, Musclenuts!" A familiar voice called form behind.

Diago turned and saw Malice heading his way. He arched an eyebrow at her. "What did you call me?"

"Musclenuts," she said with a sly grin.

Diago let out a long sigh. "You've been spending time with Yuki, haven't you?"

She put on a thinking face and tapped her chin. "She's the short, bubbly one, right?"

"That's her," Diago said. "My name's actually Diago."

"I'm Alice," she said, pulling out her phone and half-pouting at it.

"Something up?" he asked.

She started tapping away at her phone. "Ryo's not answering my texts."

"Oh! You're Kurokiba's friend!" Diago said, as if he just realized who she is. "That explains it."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "Explains what?"

"Why you were at the party last night," he said. "Kurokiba and Ibusaki are roomates, so it makes sense that you'd get an invite from him."

She glared at him. "Not quite, Musclenuts. I'm roommates with Ryoko, and Yukihira gave me an open invitation to Polar Star shenanigans."

"Oh, that makes sense I guess," he said. "Well, if Kurokiba's not responding, you're always welcome to come eat with—"

"Oi! Musclenuts!" Yuki called as she ran up to them. "Alice! Hi!"

A smile instantly appeared on Alice's face. "Yuki! How are you?"

Diago's eyes flashed back and forth as he tried to follow the conversation and get some words in, but Alice and Yuki spoke so fast that he couldn't understand half of what was said.

Yuki tilted her head towards the main dining building. "Musclenuts, you coming?"

Diago sighed. "Yuki, how many times do I have to ask you to not call me that?"

She ignored him and turned to walk towards the main dining building with Alice. Diago shook his head and followed, pulling out his phone to look at a new text.

 _[Soma]: Hey - Megs and I are gonna be late to dinner. Cover for us._

 _[Diago]: Oi! You two ok?_

 _[Soma]: Yeah, we're fine for now. Just make sure they don't try to turn the resort upside down trying to find us._

 _[Diago]: …What's going on?_

 _[Soma]: Tell you later - I promise. But please just try to keep them under control until we get back._

Daigo frowned as he sent his next reply. Something was up, and he didn't like being left out of the loop.

 _[Diago]: Yeah man, you got it._

* * *

Soma sat on a bench outside the locked kitchen building staring into his notebook. He poured over every loss, remembering each dish he put out and how it came short of his dad's. He had to bring his best today, and not just because Megumi was counting on him. Gin had told him about Shinomiya's struggles in France; how he had hit a wall and needed a kick in the pants to refocus and realize just how much there is to explore in the world of food. Soma had been there before, and knew exactly how that felt. He flipped to loss 387, and read his post-match notes from just over a year ago:

 _The frustration got to me, and I nearly threw a fit in front of the customers. Dad saw through me, and after we closed for the night he told me about how cooking is about growth. That the only thing that matters is improving day after day. Learning from your mistakes. It hurts, knowing that every time I get closer to dad's level, he goes further, but I've tasted some of the nasty stuff he's made, and I know how hard he works, and how many failures he's had to get there. He said that the only thing at stake in a match like ours is pride, and too much pride can eat a chef away until there's nothing left to put into his food. Before anything else, cooking needs to be fun, and that's how you can put the best dish out on the table every time._

 _That, and just about every chef on the planet is a sore loser. Including me._

Soma smirked as he read that last bit, reminding himself that this match, like every other, was just about pride. Shinomiya was too proud to even accept the idea that he might be wrong. That many of the students he dismissed, Megumi included, had so much potential and could be so much more with—

"So, if it isn't the upstart student himself," a voice said, right in front of Soma. He looked up to see Shinomiya standing over him, a smirk on his face, his long evening shadow stretching down the walkway. "You can still walk away from your expulsion, if you like."

Soma closed his notebook as he stood, giving Shinomiya a small bow. "Respectfully, senpai, I don't think I can."

He arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You gave us a challenge. I understand expulsion for submitting a subpar dish - but that's not the issue here. Megumi started with worse ingredients than those other students, and her dish was miles better than theirs, but she got expelled for adapting to her situation. For changing the recette." Soma shook his head. "I just can't accept that."

Shinomiya chuckled. "What do you know of the real world, boy? Do you know what's needed to get to the top and stay there?"

Soma shrugged. "Well, that's what we're here to learn, right?"

"Hmph. Then consider tonight your final lesson."

"Shinomiya! You meanie!"

Both Soma and Shinomiya turned to see Hinako storming toward them, with Doujima Jin and the rest of the alumni barely visible in the distance behind her. Soma swore he saw his opponent shiver and thunderclouds form above his head as she continued her tirade.

"Expelling a student for surpassing her peers? Why Shinomiya, you miserable little… ugh! I can't believe your temper tantrum had gone this far! We're supposed to help the students learn, not throw them all out the door!"

Soma shook his head as she kept at it, now hitting him over and over in the shoulder with little effect. Shinomiya gave Soma a look, and he got the meaning instantly.

 _If you so much as tell a soul about this, I'll end you._

* * *

Megumi stood at her cooking station, shivering only partially due to the temperature. Gin and Soma were arguing about…something? She hadn't really heard. But Shinomiya had already finished his prep and had his food in the steamer, and his glare was the most terrifying thing she had experienced thus far at Tootsuki. Even Chappelle-sensei had been a gentle, loving person once she got to know him, but Shinomiya just seemed perpetually annoyed. It was clear from the way Inui was interacting with him that they'd used to be friends, but something had to have happened to Shinomiya to make him this angry at the world. She thought that maybe—

Soma came back to the cooking station, tying up his headband as he spoke. "Oi! Megumi! What are we making?"

Megumi's confusion took some of the steam away from her fear. "Uh, I don't know, Soma. You haven't told me yet."

He smiled. "No, Megs. You're head chef today. I'm assisting."

Megumi's fear came right back to the fore, and she started shaking again. "W-what?"

"Remember our conversation this afternoon?" He asked. "We just have to put everything we are as chefs on the plate."

Shinomiya let out a bitter little laugh. "Gin, I think I understand why you agreed to this - because morons like these need to know just exactly how far out of their league they are."

Gin just stood there with his arms crossed, silent and observant.

Megumi couldn't control her shaking now. She felt it fitting that she would die here, in a cold basement, by way of panic attack.

Soma got his face a little too close to hers. "Megumi? Hello?"

Megumi tried to reply, but the words got caught in her throat.

Soma gave her a reassuring smile. "Put your hands together."

She did, her hands trembling, and—

And Soma clapped his hands over hers. Hard.

At first, she only felt the sting of the clap, but Soma's hands were so warm, and he held them there over hers. But there was something more than warmth passing through the gesture; his hands were on hers, and it made her feel… Safe. Wanted. Useful. More than she could be on her own.

And part of her wondered if that was what Shinomiya was missing. If he had been cutting it alone for so long that he had torn away part of himself just to survive. And that wound was where his warmth would be - lost in a sea of memories, set adrift many years ago to give himself the forward motion he needed to keep his edge.

And that gave Megumi an idea.

* * *

Ibusaki had just gotten out of the shower when he heard the door to his room slam shut. He stuck his head out into the main room to see Ryo, headband on, trying to pulverize a corner of his mattress with his fists, screaming wordlessly with each punch. He watched in silence as Ryo kept going and going, seeming to have no end to his rage or stamina.

He knew that there were a limited number of things that could enrage his roommate; expulsion, Alice, and… that was basically it. Ibusaki had seen Ryo's skill as a chef during the fifty serving challenge the first night, and he had no doubt that if he had been expelled, it was not due to a poor performance. So he had either done something stupid to get kicked out, or Alice had done something to really piss him off. And while Ibusaki's patience was vast, it was also running out.

"Mind if I get dressed?" he said, nodding to his suitcase behind Ryo.

Ryo broke from his rage induced trance, glaring up at Ibusaki like he had just taken his prey from him. But the fire behind Ryo's eyes slowly faded, and after an awkward, frozen moment, he reached up and removed his headband, returning to his more passive self.

"Nah, go for it."

Ibusaki nodded, and walked past Ryo to start picking clothes out of his suitcase. Ryo spoke up on his way back to the bathroom.

"No questions?" he asked.

Ibusaki shrugged. People rarely knew it, but he was the best in the business at acquiring smut. Everyone thought him a good listener, which he was, but he enjoyed the gossip as much as he enjoyed the silence. And after living at Polar Star for years, he knew exactly how to get people like Ryo to talk. "Not my business if you don't wanna share it."

He shut the bathroom door behind him and immediately heard Ryo scream, back to punching the daylights out of his mattress. It took only a minute or two to change, and after Ibusaki spritzed on a bit of his smoked cologne he went back out into the room. Ryo was standing by the corner of his bed, headband on, shoulders heaving as he panted, his rage seeming to have exhausted itself down to a smolder.

"You," Ryo panted. "Smoke man. Sit."

Ibusaki sat down on the edge of his bed and started putting on his socks and shoes.

"Why do people suck?" Ryo asked, still angry.

Ibusaki shrugged. "Because they're people, I guess."

Ryo shook his head violently, letting out a growl. "No, smoke man. Why do they want—" he paused for a moment, and made a disgusted face as he spoke the next word. "Control?"

"Ah," Ibusaki said, finishing one shoe and moving to the next. "Fear of the unknown."

"But I am known!" Ryo yelled, punching the bed hard enough to make the springs squeak. "Years and years and years and still control!"

"You seem free to me," Ibusaki said, walking over to grab his coat.

Ryo punched the mattress once more, then reluctantly took off his headband, speaking in monotone as he tied it around his wrist. "You only see what she wants you to see."

"Cut ties?"

Ryo tilted his head, and to Ibusaki it looked like this was the first time he had genuinely considered the idea.

"Where would I go?" Ryo asked.

"Could stay at Polar Star," Ibusaki said, walking toward the door. "You coming to dinner?"

Ryo was silent for a moment, and for the first time since they arrived at camp, Ibusaki saw the corner of Ryo's mouth turn up in a faint smile.

"Sure, Shun. Let's go eat."

* * *

Shinomiya sat watching Soma and Megumi work as his chou farci steamed. It seemed that there was something more to the boy than had shown in his class earlier - he was keeping ahead of the girl, making sure she had everything she needed just when she needed it. It was like he was two or three pairs of hands with how well he timed his prep work - and for a moment, Shinomiya thought that he might make a good assistant chef should he graduate Tootsuki.

Though, that last bit was never going to happen - he'd made the critical mistake of attaching himself to a sinking ship, and Shinkomiya couldn't afford to waste his time on poor decision makers.

The timer dinged, and Shinomiya plated his dish, serving it to Gin and the three judges.

Gotoda, flamboyant as ever, gushed over the aroma and dug in. He hadn't changed a bit from their student days.

Mizuhara poked and prodded at hers before she cut a small slice and cautiously ate it. She hadn't changed either.

Sekimori showed nothing on his face as he cut a bite. Shinomiya didn't know him from his student days at Tootsuki, but he seemed reasonable, if reserved.

Gin quirked his mouth up in a micro smile as he cut a piece of his dish and ate it.

All four of them widened their eyes as they took their first bite. Shinomiya could see what was going on behind their eyes - he had done this dozens of times before, as chou farci was on the experimental menu at Shino's, and he had no doubt that it would be more than enough to crush those two idiots.

His attention turned back to Megumi and Soma, who were just now finishing and plating their dish - a terrine. Shinomiya chuckled at the thought, that they had made a terrine to fly in his face, clearly making light of the fact that their assignment earlier had been a terrine as well.

As they brought their dishes over to the judges, Shinomiya overheard a bit of conversation amongst the judges.

"I'd get matching cabbage fairy costumes for us and make a goofy commercial for this dish," Inui said.

"Dibs on pink," Gin said.

Sekimori shook his head. "The most I'd do is put on a cape."

Megumi silently presented the judges with their plates. Inui's attention immediately shifted to the terrine.

"Ooh, Shinomiya! This looks so beautiful! You should have a bite!" she said.

"You're still hog tied with a 'not a judge' sign hanging around your neck," Shinomiya replied. "No need to get their hopes up."

Inui pouted at him, steam visibly coming out her ears. "You're such a meanie, Shinomiya!"

He shrugged, observing the judges as they ate the terrine. Eyes sparkled and mouths watered, but they didn't have anywhere near the reaction they had for his dish. He knew even before their coins clinked into his plate that this judgment was settled before the match even started.

The judges cast their votes, and Gin spoke the result. "3-0, Shinomiya."

Megumi and Soma both had a completely stunned look on their face, as if they actually thought they could win. They were first year students. They hadn't even completed the Stagiaire, or Hokkaido, or even run their own restaurant. But clearly they expected a different outcome; that they actually thought they could win.

Shinomiya almost laughed. And then he heard the sound of another coin clinking down, and turned to see Gin's finger on a coin in his opponent's plate.

He arched an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?"

Gin showed nothing on his face. "I merely wish to acknowledge this dish as far and above what we expect from our first year students. Even though they lost, they performed well, and that deserves acknowledgment."

"That's some nonsense and you know it," Shinomiya spat. "You're not even a judge. You don't have a vote."

Gin smiled, pushing his portion toward Shinomiya. "If you're so sure, why don't you try a bite?"

Shinomiya frowned at the camp director, but did so, cutting a slice off the terrine and…

And it was crude. There were many, many imperfections in the dish, from the preparation of the pate to the correct ratios of acid to fat in each layer. But as he chewed, Shinomiya remembered that he used to present dishes like this in his first year. But there was something hidden behind the clumsiness and inexperience that he couldn't quite put his finger on…

And he remembered the first time his mom had taken him to eat French cuisine. The chef was nowhere near as competent as he was now, but he was nine and it was the best food he'd ever had. And the way it made his mom smile… That smile that made him want to be a chef in the first place.

Shinomiya fished around in his pocket for a 500 yen coin and flipped it into Megumi's dish. The clank broke the silence, and both Megumi and Soma looked up in surprise to see a second coin on their plate.

"Allspice," he said. "In the third layer. That was inspired."

"T-thanks," Megumi stuttered out. "I thought after a long day of tasting dishes you'd all want a dish that was easy on the stomach, and allspice helps with digestion, so…"

Inui managed to get a hand free and tossed a coin of her own into Megumi's plate. "Hah!" She said at Shinomiya. "It's a draw!"

He scowled at her. "You just can't stop meddling in other people's affairs, can you?"

Gin cut him off by clearing his throat. "Well, with a draw, Megumi's status at Tootuski remains unchanged, so it seems like she may remain a student."

Shinomiya wanted to glare daggers at Gin, but he had also thrown a coin into their plate… He was so confused, What was it that had given him a monetary lapse of judgment like that?

Gin turned to Soma and Megumi. "You both are free to go. Judges, too. Shinomiya, please stay a minute."

Shinomiya watched as an elated Megumi and mildly amused Soma left. Soma gave him a nod as he left, and that irked him a little, but as soon as they had left, Gin was in his face.

"You've stagnated, haven't you?"

Shinomiya stared at Gin in shock. How could he know?

"Why would you think that?"

Gin kept his cool gaze on him. "What have you done since winning the Pluspol two years ago?"

Shinomiya didn't have an answer.

Gin nodded an acknowledgment. "It's not uncommon, you know; to go so hard for so long and then make no progress. I've seen it many, many times - and everyone needs something different to break down their barriers and continue onward."

"How… How do you know?"

Gin gave him a bitter smile. "Because I saw it break my best friend."

Shinomiya arched an eyebrow at him.

Gin grabbed two whiskey glasses and opened a bottle. He filled both, gave one to Shinomiya, and knocked his back in one go. "What have you heard of the chef called Asura?"

* * *

Soma pulled out his phone as Megumi raced off back to the main hotel building. He didn't know how to process the cocktail of emotions flowing through his head, and in his frustration pounded his hand against the wall of the building. After a few thumps his knuckles had turned into a bloody mess, and he figured he should text Diago before Megumi showed up out of nowhere.

 _[Soma]: Megumi's on her way back; I'll be along later_

 _[Diago]: Cool. Everything ok?_

 _[Soma]: Yeah. We just survived a shokugeki with Shinomiya. We're both still enrolled._

 _[Diago]: YOU WHAT?!_

 _[Soma]: Explain later. Gotta make a call._

 _[Diago]: Dude don't leave me hanging like that_

Soma ignored the last text and called the first number on his speed dial. He picked up an instant before it would have gone to voicemail.

"Hey, kiddo! How's school?"

"Hey dad. I—"

"Oh, hold on Soma," he said over some sizzling in the background. "Let me finish this dish real quick, then I'm all ears."

Soma put his phone in front of his face and looked at it like it had just farted. He put it back to his ear. "Dad? Where are you?"

"Hotel in New York," he said. "Old buddy of mine wanted to cook together again, so here I am!"

"That's… That's great, dad," Soma said, swallowing his pride. "But this is kinda important."

"Like I said, Soma, give me a few minutes and…" he heard some noises in the background, then his dad yelling at a few people, then finally quiet. "Alright, kiddo. What's up? How's school going?"

Soma took a deep breath, swallowed, then spoke.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the wait folks. Next one should be out just after new years.


	11. Chapter 11 - Friendship Camp, Pt 4

Joichiro expected the worst when Soma called in the middle of his breakfast shift.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

"What? Did you get expelled or something?" Joichiro asked. "You didn't kill anyone with those experiments of yours, right?"

"Huh?" Soma said in surprise. "No! I'm not expelled. And I haven't killed anyone yet. How could you even think—"

"Oh good," he said with a sigh of relief. "I've got some important things coming up in the next few weeks. It would be a bit awkward to have to come home and deal with murder charges—"

"Dad!" Soma nearly shouted into the phone. "Shut up and listen for a sec, will you?"

"Sure, sure," he said, chuckling. "What's up, kiddo?"

"I lost, dad." Soma said, punching the wall again. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, good."

Soma stared at his phone like it had just grown a mouth and started sassing him. "What?! What do you mean, 'good?'"

Joichiro let out a full belly laugh. "I know you, kiddo. It was only a matter of time before you bit off a bit more than you could chew. So, come on, spill. What happened?"

Soma told him about Shinomiya setting students up to fail, Megumi's near expulsion, and their secret shokugeki. Joichiro listed, with many 'yea's and 'mhm's, until Soma got to the judging results, sharing how Gin pulled his ass out of the fire.

"Ah, I see," Joichiro said. "That sounds like Gin. I should give him a call — been too long."

"He thinks the same," Soma said with a chuckle. "I gave him your number."

"Oh, boy," Joichiro said, exhaling like he had just gotten in trouble. "Anyway, who's this Shinomiya guy? He's an alum, right?"

"Yeah," Soma said. "Owns Shino's in Paris and was the former first seat of the—"

"What?!" Joichiro yelped. "You challenged a former first seat to a shokugeki?"

"Uh, yeah," Soma said. "Weren't you listening?"

Joichiro's palm hitting his forehead was audible through the phone. "You friggin' idiot! Did you seriously think you could come anywhere near matching a former first seat?"

"Honestly, dad, that doesn't matter," Soma said. "It wasn't Megumi's time to get kicked out."

Joichiro was silent for a moment, then sighed audibly. "You're not going to like this question, Soma, but I've got to ask it."

Soma furrowed his brow. "Ok, shoot."

"Did you do this because she's actually a good cook, or because she's cute?"

"Dad!"

"Hey, I said you wouldn't like it," Joichiro said. "But I need an answer, kiddo."

"Megumi…" Soma took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts. "Her cooking reminds me of yours, dad. It's not at your level, but the warmth, the soul is there. She puts herself in her food. She's got huge confidence issues, and I'm afraid I'll have to break her heart soon, which won't help her any, but she most certainly deserves her spot at Tootsuki."

"So you're not just thinking with your dick, then?"

"Dad! What the hell?!"

Joichiro laughed. "I was a teenager once too, kiddo. I have no problems with you getting a girlfriend, but I want to make sure you're not going around making poor decisions for every girl you think is cute."

"Dad, come on, you know I can't afford to go around chasing tail here, no matter how much I might want to," he shuddered, thinking back to Fumio reaction to his Polar Star entrance exam dish. "Or how much it's forced on me. I have to focus on my cooking."

"Hah!" Jo said. "Did ol' Fumio jump your bones too?"

"We are absolutely not having this conversation, dad," Soma said, hanging up.

Joichiro shook his head, putting his phone away and leaning on the balcony of the New York hotel. It was early morning, and the sun was rising over the city skyline. It was a beautiful sight, and he wished that he had someone to share it with, even if it was his own brat.

"I don't think I can teach you this one, kiddo," he muttered to himself. "You gotta find someone you wanna cook for."

* * *

Soma walked into his day three classroom fifteen minutes early, scanning for a familiar face. When he didn't find one, he walked over to one of the unoccupied stations and got out his phone.

 _Group chat: Polar Star_

 _[Soma]: Anyone got class in room W23 today?_

 _[Megumi]: no, I'm in S07 with Mizuhara-senpai_

 _[Ryoko]: me too megs! Let's be partners!_

 _[Diago]: nah dude im with inui today_

 _[Shoji]: diago I'm with shino_

 _[Yuki]: Ugh musclenuts tell me there's someone else we know in Inui's class_

 _[Diago]: Woah, Yuki. What's your problem?_

 _[Yuki]: Your tiny peabrain will get me expelled for sure_

 _[Shoji]: guys come on. We dont need those bad vibes_

 _[Marui]: Yuki you can work with me_

 _[Soma]: Diago, I think Ryo is going to be there today. Work with him!_

 _[Yuki]: marui thank God, someone mildly competent_

 _[Diago]: That dude scares me_

 _[Ryoko]: Diago has enough brains to know what fear is? Color me surprised_

 _[Soma]: You're twice his size, and he's only aggressive if he puts on the headband_

 _[Soma]: You'll be fine_

 _[Yuki]: Daww. Is big Diago scared? 0.o_

 _[Diago]: … You guys suck._

"Ohayo, Soma-kun!" A familiar voice shouted out.

Soma looked up from his phone to see Alice walking towards him, a big, bright smile on her face. "Yo, Alice!"

Alice rolled her eyes as she leaned up against Soma's cooking station and crossed her arms. "My my, Soma-kun. Dropping honorifics already? Since when did we get that close?"

"Sorry, sorry," he said, putting his phone back into his pocket. "Habit, I guess. Wanna work together today, Alice-chan?"

"No! Not fair!" Another familiar voice shouted from the entrance. Ikumi stomped in, and Soma could almost see steam coming out of her ears as she marched over to him. "I want to work with Yukihira!"

Soma shrugged. "She got to me first, Nikumi. I'm sure there's another good cook somewhere in the room for you to work with—"

"Oi! Yukihira!" Isami said, walking into the classroom. He waved and walked over to the trio.

"See? Perfect!" Soma said. "Isami, wanna work with Nikumi? She needs a partner."

Alice laughed as Nikumi turned around to watch the large Aldini walk toward them.

Isami looked at Nikumi with a raised eyebrow, then turned back to Soma. "Didn't you guys have a shokugeki right before we left?"

"Yea, but we're friends now," Soma said, elbowing Nikumi. "No point holding a grudge when we need to work together for Common Foods RS, right?"

Nikumi grumbled, nodding.

"Besides," Soma said. "We got to know each other really well during the dunk tank fundraiser. Six hours isn't so long when you spend it with a friend, right?"

Alice arched an eyebrow at Nikumi, who turned red in embarrassment.

Isami scratched his head. "…Huh. Well, Ikumi-san, I saw you cook in the shokugeki. I'd be more than happy to work with you, if you'll have me."

"Uh, sure, I guess," Nikumi said. "It's not like there's anyone else in this class, and I guess you've gotta be pretty good if Yukihira's vouching for you."

Alice gave Nikumi a wicked smile. "Wonderful! I wonder who our instructor will be—"

Precisely as the clock struck 9:30, Donato Gotoda made his entrance. Flamboyant as ever, he creeped at least three different students out as he danced past them to the front of the classroom, blonde hair twirling around him like a dancer's sash, eyes darting around to see everything he shouldn't.

"Now, now, _mis amores_ ," he said, striking a pose with a wooden spoon. "Today is the day you show how well you can cook love into your meals."

Soma leaned over to whisper to Alice. "Did he just call the entire class his 'loves'?"

Alice pursed her lips and nodded. "Dude's a total creep."

"…And so," Gotonda continued, "your task today is to incorporate aphrodisiac qualities into your dish. You have three hours; you may begin."

Ikumi turned around to face Soma and Alice. "What the hell is an aphrodisiac?"

Alice put up a finger. "An aphrodisiac is a substance that induces or increases sexual desire and or behavior. Most food based ones are proven placebos, but there are a few that can be considered aphrodisiac due to nonchemical effects they have on their consumer."

Ikumi scrunched up her face in disgust. "Eww. What a perv."

Isami shrugged in agreement. "You said it. But we still gotta present a good dish to keep from getting expelled." He turned to Alice. "What are we looking at in terms of ingredients?"

Alice smiled. "There's a lot to work with - seafood, chocolate, clove, sage, various fruits, nonvolatile oils…"

Soma scratched his head. "Huh. How do you know so much about aphrodisiac foods, Alice? Just about everyone else has their face glued to their phone looking stuff up."

"Molecular gastronomy," she said. "In addition to studying the chemical composition of foods and how they interact with our palate, I also had to learn about common myths and superstitions surrounding food. Aphrodisiac food is the poster child for the placebo effect."

"That makes sense," Ikumi said. "And here I thought you were just as pervy as Gotoda."

Alice pouted at her. "Oi! Watch it, you…"

Soma got in between them. "Ok, ok. We have our starting places. Let's brainstorm and…"

From out of nowhere Gotoda rose up to stand next to Alice and Ikumi.

"My, my! What do we have here? Such lovely little roses in class this morning! And all paired off, too! Ah, I can just smell it!" He took a few sniffs. "It is the smell of _amor_!"

Isami and Soma glanced at each other, nodding simultaneously in unstated agreement.

"Gotoda-senpai," Soma asked politely, "could we please have some space to think? We're planning our dish for—"

Gotoda cut him off. "Ah! But young Romeo-san, how shall I observe a young love of cooking if I am not to partake? I must see, must smell, must touch—"

Isami butted in. "Senpai, I have a feeling if you touch much more today it's going to bring a sexual harassment suit with it."

Gotoda stared at Isami, a look of shock on his face. " _Signore_! I cannot believe I just heard—"

Soma stepped forward and put a hand on Gotoda's shoulder. "Senpai, there are many, many more stations for you to enter and observe. Why don't you focus elsewhere for now and let us bring some mystique to what we present you, hm?"

Gotoda opened his moth to say something, then closed it, turning around to sulk off back to the front of the classroom.

Soma held out a fist to Isami. He bumped it.

"Mou, what gallant knights in shining armor," Alice said, batting her eyelashes at Soma. Ikumi scrunched up her face in anger as steam started spilling out her ears.

Soma closed his eyes and shook his head. "Not you too, Alice-chan. I get enough of that back at Polar Star."

She giggled. "You wish, Soma-kun. No need to get all worked up over it. This is the aphrodisiac challenge, after all."

He sighed, turning to Isami and Ikumi. "You guys at least have some ideas, right?"

They looked at each other and both shrugged in a 'yeah, kinda' way.

"Great," he said, untying his headband from around his wrist and wrapping it around his forehead. "Let's get cooking."

* * *

Soma eyed Alice as they finished plating their dish. "Are you sure coffee isn't your specialty? That mocha sauce with white coffee was inspired."

Alice huffed out an impatient breath. "No, baka! I studied molecular gastronomy before coming here, remember?"

"But doesn't that require fancy machines and stuff?" he asked. "We didn't have much more than the basics."

"Eh, depends on what you need to do," she said as she placed the last strawberry flower on top of the mousse. "You can certainly do more elegant and transformative dishes with different equipment, but the fundamental science is still there even if you don't have all the—"

Soma saw Ikumi and Isami head over to Gotado with their dish, and his attention diverted instantly as he watched.

Gotado took a deep breath as he fanned himself with his hand. "Ah! _Mis amores_! What do we have here?"

"This is a salmon and avocado don," Ikumi said. "A lime vinaigrette brings the two together in harmony with our cilantro and paprika rice."

Isami stood over Ikumi's shoulder, arms crossed, giving Gotoda his intimidation look.

"My, my!" Gotoda said. "Aphrodite was born from the sea, you know! And the Aztec word for avocado translates to…" he glanced around and saw Isami staring down at him. Rather than finish his sentence, he gulped and took a bite of the don.

" _Magnifiglioso_!" He said, striking one of his odd but intriguing poses. "Pass!"

Ikumi smirked as Gotoda went for another bite, and she and Isami headed for the door.

"…Soma-kun?" Alice asked. "Earth to Soma-kun!"

"Oh, uh, sorry Alice," he said, turning to the two on their way out. "Isami, Nikumi! We're up next! Stick around!"

Both turned around to see Alice marching up to Gotoda carrying a covered dish, a smug look on her face.

"Ah, _bellisima_! What do we have here?"

Soma spoke, taking the same intimidating stance behind Alice as Isami did for Ikumi. "This is a his-and-hers fruit mousse dessert."

Alice smirked as she lifted the cover on the plate to reveal a piece of food art: two distinct shapes of mousse, one a man, the other a woman, arranged around a pyramid of various finger fruits in the center.

"My my, what is this?" Gotoda asked. "Is this… the grail of romantic dessert? The presentation is wonderful, and putting cherries in the most appropriate places!" He picked up a glazed strawberry, swiped it through the white mousse, and bit in.

The entire room got quiet as Gotoda was, for once in his life, completely silent as his eyes widened.

" _Dio_ ," he whispered, shattering the moment. "Have… have I found _il mio amore_?"

Alice arched an eyebrow at him. "You do know I speak Italian, right?"

Within moments, Gotoda was on his knee in front of Alice, a ring box appearing in his hand from out of nowhere.

Soma ruined his moment. "So I take it that means we pass?"

" _Si, si,_ " Gotoda said, closing his eyes and holding the ring box up. "Say yes, _mi amore_."

Soma and Alice quickly swapped places while Gotoda had his eyes closed.

"Uhh, senpai?" Soma said, scratching his head. "You might want to cut the antics before anyone gets the wrong idea."

Gotoda opened his eyes and glanced around, realizing that every eye in the room was on him, on one knee, holding up a ring to Yukihira Soma. Realization set in, and he scurried to stand up and put the ring away.

"Yes, well…" he mumbled, cheeks flushing bright red. "Let's never speak of this again. You are dismissed."

Soma and Alice joined Ikumi and Isami by the door, and the four left the classroom.

"Yukihira, I can't believe you!" Ikumi said. "There was no way to know how Gotoda-senpai would react to your antics!"

"The dude's a perv," Soma said. "He should be glad all we did was embarrass him."

"Mou, that's rich, coming from you, Soma-kun," Alice said, a devilish smirk on her face. "You were staring at my ass way more than Gotoda-senpai."

"L-lies!" Soma said, cheeks flushing red. "Lies and slander!"

"Honestly," Isami said, "I'm pretty sure Gotoda laced the room with some kind of pheromone. Most everyone was sneaking glances at the three of you."

"Wow Isami," Ikumi said. "You could pay that much attention to what was going on in the room and still cook that well?"

The Italian shrugged. "People watching is a hobby of mine. It and cooking are both basically second nature to me."

"Wow," Alice said. "Any other insights from today, Isami-kun?"

"Well, Alice-chan," Isami said, smirking. "Just about everyone in the room, girls included, stared at your ass more than Soma did."

Alice's face flushed beet red as Soma pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes! Vindication!" he said, turning to Alice, a smug grin on his face. "I'm nothing but the perfect gentleman."

Ikumi burst out laughing. "Don't get me started, Yukihira."

"On top of that," Isami said, turning to Alice. "Soma's ass got many more stares than yours."

Soma started doing a celebration dance with lots of goofy hip motion. "That's right baby! Nicest ass in Polar Star, right here!"

Alice put her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow at the dancing loon. "Perfect gentleman, eh?"

Ikumi smacked Soma upside the head. "Calm down, baka. That'll only be true until I move in."

Soma rubbed his head, wincing. "Ow, Nikumi. Since when are you moving in?"

"Well, Common Foods RS is going to take up a lot of my time, and this cuts the commute down by an hour each way."

Isami nodded. "Logical. Sensible. But that's not really why you're moving to Polar Star, is it?"

Ikumi blushed, and Soma started laughing.

"You just want to party with us more, yeah?"

Ikumi glanced at Isami, who gave her a knowing look but otherwise stayed quiet.

"Yeah," she said. "Anyway, is it time for another round of shenanigans? I need a drink."

* * *

Megumi walked with Ryoko out of Mizuhara's challenge. Having survived Shinomiya, this felt like a piece of cake, and she finally had some room to breathe and process her thoughts about—

"Hey, Megs," Ryoko said, a look of concern on her face. "You ok? You seemed a bit spaced out while we were cooking."

"O-oh, yeah," she said meekly. "I've just had a lot on my mind since yesterday."

Ryoko gestured to a nearby bench. "Wanna talk about it? I was gonna skip lunch in the dining hall anyway; I brought some malted granola bars." She game Megumi a room-lighting smile. "Happy to share."

Megumi hesitated. She'd never talked about these kinds of things with anyone, though thinking it trough, she hadn't really had the kinds of problems until recently. And Ryoko had much more experience with these kinds of things, anyway. So she sat down, took a deep breath, and tried to talk through the butterflies in her stomach.

"How do you deal with alcohol?"

Ryoko sat down next to her, a bit surprised by the question. "Where's this coming from, Megs?"

"Well…" She took a deep breath. "Things have just been so much more stressful this year, and when I'm drunk it just kinda washes off. The stress, the anxiety, the shyness, they all go away. And I want that, I want more of that, but I'm afraid I'll start relying on it too much. Some of the sailors I grew up with were drunks, and I saw firsthand what it did to their home life. I— I don't want that. But I can't just sit here and… And…"

"Ah," Ryoko said, "I think I know where this is going." She adjusted herself to better face Megumi. "This is about Soma, isn't it?"

Megumi nodded, tears starting to fall down her face.

Ryoko pursed her lips. "You're afraid he'll say no."

She shook her head. "I know he will. And it will hurt him more than it will hurt me."

That caused Ryoko's eyebrow to go up. "And how do you know that?"

"Because he's been refusing everyone," Megumi said. "He turned you and Yuki down, and you are both incredible people. And Ikumi is very clearly interested in a serious relationship with him, and that hasn't happened either. So he's clearly not interested in anything."

"Being on the receiving end of rejection isn't fun, Megs," Ryoko said. "But it's not the end of the world. And there's still something you're missing."

"What's that?"

"Maybe he's just waiting for the right person." She put up a finger as if she just realized something she hadn't previously considered. "That or he's gay."

Megumi let out a brief chuckle. "He's not gay."

"You know that for a fact?"

She nodded. "Positive."

Ryoko gave her a look. "Megumi, how on earth do you know that?"

Megumi's cheeks flushed red, and Ryoko's eyes widened in shock.

"Megumi, you haven't…"

"No, no," Megumi said quickly, backpedaling. "Not that. He just gave me a hug in the bath."

Ryoko let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Megs for a minute there you had me worried—" Realization struck. "Wait, what?!"

* * *

Alice was standing with Ryo and Polar Star when Gin made his announcement about the breakfast challenge.

"Your main ingredient will be the egg. Service will start at 6 AM; your station assignments will be posted at 4."

Alice smiled as Gin walked off the stage. This was another opportunity.

"Ryo," she whispered, "Go make sure Erina and Soma share a station. Ideally one out in the open."

"But miss," he said. "Shouldn't we be preparing for—"

"Ryo, you're here to do my bidding, not question it," she said. "Chop chop."

A vein popped out of Ryo's forehead, and he spoke through clenched teeth. "Yes, miss."

* * *

Soma put the finishing touches on his souffle omelet and grinned at it. He thought the fluffy texture of the egg and powerful umami of the sauce would make for an excellent breakfast and a delicious start to anyone's day. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms back behind his head, taking a moment to look around and see what everyone else was cooking. He saw lots of variations on scrambled eggs and diner-style omelets, and there was one student making egg fried rice. They all looked to be tasty, but nothing special, and he didn't think it would be too difficult to serve two hundred guests.

After all, that was just a normal day at Yukihira's.

He felt someone poking his arm mid stretch, and he nearly jumped to see Alice standing beside him.

"Oh, hey Alice-chan," he said, rolling his neck. "What's up?"

She kept poking at his arm. "Hm. Ryo could learn a few things from you. I'll let you borrow him as a gym buddy if you want."

He eyed her. "You came over here to get me to work out with Ryo?"

She giggled. "Not quite. Just came to see what you made."

"Ah," he said, finishing his stretch and nodding at his plate. "Want a bite?"

She shrugged, grabbed a fork and cut off a piece of omelet. She put it in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"Hm, interesting texture," she said. "But it won't last. Flavor's great, though."

"What do you mean the texture won't last?" Soma said.

"We're serving buffet style," Alice explained. "Your dish is going to sit out until someone takes it. See the problem?"

Soma looked at his dish again, then frowned. "Yeah. The souffle won't keep its fluffiness for very long, and that means the texture and visual appeal will fall off the longer it sits."

"Seems like you need to start over, Soma-kun," Alice teased. "Tootsuki would get a bit more boring if you got kicked out here."

"Nah, the recipe's great," Soma said, leaning back against the counter and looking up in thought. "I just have a different problem to solve."

"Oh?"

"How can I cut the time they're sitting out down to near zero?" He explained.

"Well, if you had a line of customers taking them faster than you could make them, that would solve your problem," Alice said.

"Hm. Good advertising. I like it," Soma said. "Thanks, Alice-chan. What did you end up making?"

She gave him a sly smile. "It's not ready yet; everything needs to chill until the challenge starts. But I promise I'll save you a set for afterwards."

"Ooh, a surprise!" Soma said. "Anyway, thanks Alice-chan. I gotta go."

Alice arched an eyebrow at him. "Go do what, Soma-kun?"

"The station assignments get posted in ten minutes," he said. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, then scope out my station."

"How will that help?"

"Well like you said, I need a crowd to keep demand up for my dish," he said with a wink. "And the best way to pull a crowd is to put on a show."

* * *

A/N: Happy new decade, folks! Hope you enjoy the new chapter. The last friendship camp chapter should be out around the end of Feb/start of March, an then we're on to Karaage wars, which will be a hoot. If there's anything you'd like to see in the future, definitely let me know in a review - I'm always happy to consider new ideas.


	12. Chapter 12 - Friendship Camp, Pt 5

Erina brought her cart of food over to her serving station - trays and trays of eggs benedict covered under a thermal wrap to keep heat in. It was earlier in the morning than she'd like, but she at least got a respectable amount of sleep, and she knew there were many students who had to go without sleep entirely to prepare for today's challenge. That thought made her chuckle. Those who could not adequately adapt to the challenges at camp would surely not last the year, as the advancement exams would—

"Oi! Nakiri!" A voice called out to her, and it sent shivers of annoyance down her spine. She turned to see red hair and golden eyes, and she knew that her day had just been ruined.

"Yukihira-kun!" She half-shouted. "What are you doing here?"

He nodded up to the number over the station as he set down a large pot on a burner. "I'm assigned station 43. Looks like we're gonna be buddies for the breakfast challenge, eh, Nakiri?"

A vein popped out in her forehead. "I don't know what happened to you since we last spoke, Yukihira-kun, but there is no universe imaginable where we are 'buddies.'"

He chuckled as he started setting out a series of burners and covered frypans. "Man, I don't get you, Nakiri. Are you that against making friends?"

"If it were anyone but you, Yukihira-kun, I might consider it," she said, checking the clock and putting out a tray of her eggs benedict. "But you? Absolutely not."

"I still don't know what you're problem is, Nakiri," Soma said. "I've been nothing but nice to you, and you still won't even be polite. Maybe I should contact ojii-sama and tell him how you've been disrobing male students outside the baths…"

Erina flushed red. "Grandfather would never believe you!"

"I don't know about that, Nakiri," he said, separating his first eggs of the day. "I think he'd be pretty skeptical of your denial, given how red your face is."

Erina almost lost it at this, but before she could start spewing insults at Yukihira, her curiosity got the better of her and sucker punched her anger while she wasn't looking.

"Uh, Yukihira-kun, are you just starting your prep now?" she asked. "The hall opens up to the public in five minutes."

Soma nodded at the large pot on a burner as he started beating the egg whites into a meringue. "I made sauce; the rest I'll get done as I go."

"You do know how to count to two hundred, right?" Erina asked, half mocking him.

Soma let out a full belly laugh. "Thanks for the concern, Nakiri. I think I'll be fine."

Erina smirked at him. "Well, if you get expelled here I'm sure stories of your counting skills will be told for years."

The doors to the dining hall opened up and a flood of patrons poured in. Erina leaned back against her prep table, a smug look on her face as she compared her serving area to Yukihira's. The contrast was incredible; she had rows and rows of beautifully plated sandwiches out, and he didn't have a single dish available for the taking.

Erina was glad that she had front row seats to Yukihira's expulsion.

* * *

Dojima Gin watched over the breakfast challenge from his perch in the security room. He had a camera on every pair of students, and by the ten minute mark had fairly reasonable predictions as to which students would survive. At twenty minutes, there were already students panicking about lack of sales, and Gin had to dispatch security over two students nearly getting into a fistfight with one another at twenty five minutes.

Roland Chappelle came into the room just after thirty minutes, looking at the live tracker for plates finished. Gin saw him check his watch, and then do a double take at the tracker. Gin smiled, stepping up next to him.

"Surprised?" Gin asked.

"A little," Chappelle said. "I expected greatness, but this looks like it's going to be a new record."

"Unfortunately, no," Gin said, checking his watch. "The record time for two hundred servings is 28:31, set back in the sixty-ninth generation. I think the fastest pace under your tenure would be Mizuhara's 34:56, and it doesn't look like that time will get beat, either."

Chappelle grunted in agreement. "So, who holds the record?" He eyed Gin. "Is it yours?"

"I was close," Gin said, a bittersweet smile on his face. "But Saiba Joichiro beat me by twelve seconds."

"That doesn't surprise me," Chappelle said. "Joichiro was a madman in the kitchen."

"Oh?" Gin asked. "You knew him?"

"Hmm. It was, what — eighteen or nineteen years ago?" Roland said, tilting his head in thought as he watched the monitors. "I had just finished doing a pop-up with Gordon out front of the Lourve, and I was on the bus back to my chateau on the coast when we stopped for a quick rest. Joichiro was running a lunch stand, and after seeing what he could do firsthand I invited him to cook with me back at the chateau."

"Hm. I'd wondered where he ran off to after he left Tootsuki," Gin said. "I'm glad he didn't just wander about the middle of nowhere for five years."

"He was in my kitchen for about four months," Chappelle said. "He'd mentioned something about Rio just before he left. Hadn't thought much about him until the start of the year when Yukihira first showed up in my class."

"Ah," Gin said. "You know?"

"Yukihira is the spitting image of his father," Chappelle said. "You'd have to be blind not to see it."

Both of them saw Erina sneeze rather violently on the monitor watching Yukihira's station.

Gin smiled at that as he walked over to the announcement microphone. He kept his eye on the tracker, watching the leader tick up past the two hundred plate mark.

 _37:04 - fifth fastest in Tootsuki's history. Not bad, kid._ Gin thought. _Not bad._

He turned the microphone on and made the first announcement of the morning.

"Yukihira Soma, two hundred servings, complete!"

* * *

Takumi was fuming. He was crushing the breakfast challenge; on pace for over three hundred servings. But when he heard that announcement just before 6:40, that Yukihira had not only finished ahead of him, but so far ahead of him that catching up was impossible, his face flushed beet red. The night before, he had rubbed in Yukihira's face that his ultimate Italian egg dish would lead the class in sales, and boy was Yukihira going to rub this in his face next time they saw each other. He could hear the taunting now.

 _'Culmination of Aldidi expertise?' Yukihira said, half-laughing at him. 'Sure, Takumi. Why don't you challenge me after you get serious?'_

A plate crashing snapped Takumi out of his stupor, and he turned around to see his station partner purse her lips as she acknowledged her dropped plate. And now that Takumi thought about it, she seemed incredibly sleep deprived. Were challenges like this so difficult for the other students? Regardless, Takumi thought the least he could do was be a gentleman, since he couldn't catch Yukihira and there was no chance of him failing.

He grabbed the dustpan and broom and walked them over to her. "Here. Need a hand?"

Yuki took the cleaning implements with zombie-like motions. "Thanks, Takumicchi. Man, this stinks…"

Takumi gave her a reassuring smile. "Just keep focused, Yuki-chan. You're on pace to pass, you just need to stay awake."

"Yeah," she said, putting a hand up to her mouth to cover a yawn. "Awake… Ugh, I'm going to sleep for a week after this camp is over…"

Takumi turned back to his own station and started tossing another set of salads. At least with the pressure to win gone, he could focus more on what was happening around him - though it was all to easy to get caught up with the crowd surrounding Yukihira's station as he juggled omelets like a professional circus performer. But Takumi did what he always did - a few claps on the cheeks, some long blinks, and he was right back to powering through this challenge.

He just hoped that he'd get to see Isami on the other side.

* * *

Erina fumed as she heard the next announcement.

"Yukihira Soma, three hundred servings, complete!"

This was absurd and farcical. How could this diner-raised idiot with a terrible recipe choice for a buffet be the servings leader? It's like some nonsense out of a shonen manga or a fanfic - not that she would ever be caught dead reading those. It was completely and utterly impossible. But there it was, happening right next to her, the crowd frenzied as batch after batch of souffle omelets came out faster and faster, each with more and more showmanship. This wasn't cooking; this was a circus.

Erina looked at her own serving area, still mostly full. Her eggs benedict glistened and shone as the marvels they were, but they were being overlooked by Yukihira's clown show. Most of her customers were those who had grown impatient waiting for one of Yukihira's omelets, and she had served over seventy, which certainly said something about the patience of crowds. But she wasn't on pace to make two hundred - and she started to wonder if it was possible for her to fail.

She immediately brushed the thought aside. Her, an elite ten member, fail? Absurd. This was just a momentary setback. The reactions to her food were clearly better than to Yukihira's, and there was no way he could keep this pace up for another hour. He was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, and soon he would break. All she had to do was wait.

* * *

Alice smirked at the announcement.

"Yukihira Soma, four hundred servings, complete!"

She knew Erina had to be pissed. Come to think of it - she didn't remember hearing Erina's name get announced yet, and there was only forty minutes left before breakfast closed. She figured she should check up on her cousin after she closed her station down. She'd served over three hundred herself - she didn't care too much about counting as long as she passed. What was more important was to go around taunting everyone else - and Ikumi, Isami, and Ibusaki reacted just as expected.

"Kurokiba Ryo, two hundred servings, complete!"

Alice pouted as she finished cleaning up her station. It took him long enough. Though, now that she'd thought about it, something had been off with him since…before camp? He'd been in a funk, and he really didn't have the same fire he used to, now that she thought about it. Maybe he met someone? No, he was clearly in love with her. Did he lose a shokugeki? She probably would have heard about it, so that was unlikely. What then?

It irritated her that she didn't have an answer for this. She was smart, cunning, and had eyes and ears everywhere, but there were still things she didn't know. It wouldn't do to have something this close to her heart be an unknown, and she made a mental note to get to the bottom of this as soon as she had time after camp. So she squirreled the thought away in the back of her mind and headed off to go see how her dear cousin was doing in the other hall.

* * *

Soma had just heard the announcement for four hundred servings when he turned around to find no more eggs at his station. It completely threw off his rhythm, and it took a second for him to process. Then the exhaustion he had been fighting off hit him full on, and he almost lost his balance. But the challenge wasn't over, and he still had cooking to do, so he took a few deep breaths as he turned to Erina.

"Oi, Nakiri," he said, panting. "Got any eggs I can borrow?"

Erina's face flushed redder than his tomato sauce. "Absolutely not, Yukihira."

Soma shrugged, thinking it through a bit more. There probably weren't any eggs he could get his hands on, and he couldn't cook without ingredients. So he sighed, took his headband off, and smiled apologetically to the crowd in front of his station.

"Sorry folks! Looks like we just ran out of ingredients, so that's it for today!" He said, finally starting to catch his breath. "But there are many more delicious foods to go try! Osomatsu, and happy eating!"

The crowd grumbled in dissatisfaction at the announcement, but everyone could hear Soma's stomach rumble. He scratched his head, smiled, and turned to start cleaning up his station. His stomach rumbled again, and he realized his mistake - he hadn't had anything to eat since his talk with Alice the night before, and even then he only had a few bites of souffle omelet. Then it dawned on him that he was in a dining hall, and there was breakfast being served literally everywhere in the room. He could go grab a quick meal and then get to cleaning.

"Oi! Nakiri!" Soma said, walking over and grabbing a plate from her station. "You're cooking's pretty good, right?"

Erina huffed out an impatient breath as she set out another tray of plates. "I'm in the Elite Ten. What do you think?"

"Cool," Soma said, picking up the English muffin. "Can't wait to try it!"

Erina squinted at him. "Yukihira, I do not need your charity here. I will do just fine without you."

Soma shrugged as he bit into it and…

And…

What _was_ this?

This was beyond anything he had ever made. Even though it had been sitting out for a while, it was still moist and delicious and full of explosive flavor. Soma had never tasted his dad's cooking when he was really trying his best, but this… this was near dad's level, if only just. There was another chef here at Tootsuki that cooked at a level far beyond him, and it made him excited. He had a new goal; a new rival. And, in addition to making Erina tell him his food was delicious, he realized that that alone wouldn't satisfy him. He needed to go further and beat her cooking one-on-one.

And then Soma had a most brilliant idea.

"Wow, Nakiri!" He shouted, loud enough for the dispersing crowd to hear, his mouth still half-full. "This is _really_ good!"

The crowd started murmuring, and the few closest individuals grabbed a plate and took a bite. Soon, nearly the entire crowd was at Erina's station, climbing over one another to grab a plate from the elite chef.

Soma put his empty plate down on Erina's stack. "Wow, Nakiri! What a crowd!"

"I told you I didn't need your help, Yukihira!" she said angrily as she put out yet another tray of food.

"Nakiri, please. This is an individual challenge," Soma said, smirking. "I can't help you. That would be against the rules."

"Oh, shut it, Yukihira!" she said, now struggling to keep up with demand.

"You got it, boss," he said, walking back to his station to start cleaning up.

"Oi! Soma-kun!"

Soma looked up to see Alice walking towards him.

"Oh, hey Alice. You here to bring me that serving of your dish?"

Alice's face scrunched up as if she'd just smelled something awful. "Ugh, no. I ran out of ingredients. Rain check?"

Soma shrugged as he grabbed another frying pan and started washing it. "Sure. Not like either of us are leaving Tootsuki anytime soon."

"True," Alice said. "We'll find time to get together I'm sure."

"Of course," Soma said, smiling. "You've got an open invitation to Polar Star shenanigans, after all."

Alice glanced at Erina, who clearly hadn't noticed her, and waved goodbye to Soma as she skipped off to wherever else she was going in the hall.

Soma turned back to cleaning his station, and when he was nearly done, he heard an unsurprising announcement.

"Nakiri Erina, two hundred servings, complete!"

* * *

That night, shenanigans were on in full force in Marui's room, as usual. Ibusaki was hustling Ryo, Isami, Ikumi, Ryoko and Yuki at strip poker while Soma, Alice, Megumi, and Takumi were off talking in the back.

"I still can't believe I got proposed to," Megumi said, taking a swig of rice juice from her cup.

"Join the club, sister," Alice said. "I can't believe you didn't get expelled from your shokugeki with Shinomiya!"

"Well, it was kinda strange," Soma said. "All the judges voted against us, but Shinomiya effectively forfeited after tasting our dish."

"That was stupid and reckless, Yukihira," Takumi said. "What would you have done if you lost?"

He thought for a moment. "I'd probably just go back to cooking at Yukihira while I finish high school."

"That's your restaurant, right?" Takumi asked, genuinely curious. "I'd love to come see it sometime."

"Yeah," Soma said. "It's in Sumire town, so it's not too far from Tootsuki; about an hour or so by bullet train."

"We've got a break coming up," Alice said. "Group trip to Yikihira?"

"I'll be back home in Tohoku," Megumi said. "Next time?"

"Definitely," Soma said. "We can always just go on a Saturday or something and do a one day opening."

"That sounds like a great time," Takumi said. "I'm sure Isami would love to come people watch, too."

Megumi arched a curious eyebrow at Takumi. "Y'know, you're quite reasonable when you're not demanding a shokugeki from Soma."

Takumi flushed red as everyone laughed. Soma put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't take it personally," he said. "She gets like this whenever she drinks."

Ryoko came over sans pants and bra and refilled her cup. "Unflappable and sassy," she said, smiling at Takumi. "You get used to it."

Alice looked her up and down, then smiled. "I guess Ibusaki is running the table again, yeah?"

Ryoko looked over her shoulder at the card group. Isami was shirtless, Ikumi and Yuki had lost their pants, and Ryo was down to his underwear and one sock. Ibusaki, despite having a large pile of clothes in front of him, was also down to his underwear and one sock.

"Mostly," Ryoko said. "He had a bad hand at the beginning and lost a bluff to Ryo. Other than that, yeah."

"Kick him out!" Yuki shouted, glaring daggers at Ibusaki. "Kick. His. Ass. Out!"

"Now, now, children," Megumi said in a condescending voice as she walked over to the poker circle. "What seems to be the matter?"

"Ibusaki is a damn perv!" Yuki said.

"No surprise there," Megumi said flatly. She turned to Ikumi, who was beet red. "Anything to add?"

"He bet his friggin' underwear!" Ikumi said.

"Relax," Ibusaki said to Yuki. "If I lose the hand, I'll just put on your pants."

"See?" Yuki said. "You see this shit right here?"

Megumi sighed. "Ibusaki, don't bet your underwear. Nobody is in the mood to see your woodchips tonight."

"Actually," Isami said, knocking back the rest of his rice juice. "I'm pretty sure Yuki and Ryoko wouldn't mind."

Alice laughed as Yuki's face got redder. "Why the hell would I want to see that?"

"Don't fight it, Yuki," Alice said, walking over. "Isami's observation skills are second to none, and it'll just be more embarrassing for you."

"Speaking from experience, Alice?" Soma said.

"Oi!" she snapped back. "Shut it, you!"

"What happened, Soma-kun?" Ryoko asked.

"We had the aphrodisiac challenge yesterday with Gotoda," Isami said. "Alice tried to claim that Soma was staring at her ass the whole time when it was actually the other way around."

"Isami-kun!" Alice whined. "I thought we were friends!"

Megumi shrugged, unfazed. "To be fair, Soma-kun does have a nice ass."

Ryoko and Yuki nodded as if the statement was obvious to everyone.

"Oi! Yukihira!" Takumi said, looking confused and slightly flushed from the rice juice. "What the hell is going on?"

"You sure you want to know, Takumi?" Soma said, refilling his cup.

"Did I friggin' stutter, Yukihira?" he said.

Soma sat down on the corner of his bed. "Alright, but you can't say I didn't warn you."

Takumi arched an eyebrow at him, and looked around to see everyone gathering around to listen to the story. When he turned back, Soma was wearing nothing but a pink Inudog apron.

"My, my!" Alice said. "This is a pleasant surprise."

Isami gave her a pointed look.

"What?" she asked, acceptance in her voice. "Soma-kun's got a nice ass."

"Settle down, children," Soma said. He turned to Takumi, a wicked grin on his face. "Let me tell you about the first night I spent at Polar Star…"

* * *

Soma sat with Diago, Shoji, Yuki, and Ryoko as the celebration dinner began. Alumni wheeled dining carts full of food out into the hall to meet the cheers of the students. At his table, Soma just kept a quiet smile on his face while the other four sighed in relief.

"This might just make the whole week worth it," Yuki said as the aroma washed over their table.

"Agreed," Shoji said. "I'm surprised my stomach isn't louder then the conversation."

"You always think with your stomach," Diago said. "Makes me wonder if there's anything else to you."

"Oh shut up Musclenuts," Yuki said. "If anyone here is one-dimensional, it's you."

"I'm just glad everyone at Polar Star made it through," Soma said.

"Same," Ryoko said. "But you're all great chefs. There was never a doubt in my mind that we'd all—"

"Monsieur Yukihira," someone said behind Soma, and he turned to see Shinomiya take one of two covered plates on his cart and put it in front of him. "You certainly know how to stir up trouble, don't you?"

Soma shrugged. "I don't try to, senpai."

"Well, you've made it through camp, at least," he said, light glinting off of his glasses. "Enjoy."

Soma arched an eyebrow at him as he rolled his cart towards Megumi's table. He looked around, and nobody else had a covered plate in front of them. His tablemates were too busy enjoying their own food to notice, and so Soma lifted the lid to see what was underneath.

It was Shinomiya's specialty. There was no doubt about it. Soma gulped and took a bite. And in the moments that followed, a startling realization hit him.

He had a long way to go before he could even _think_ about the first seat.

* * *

A/N: Got this one out a bit earlier than expected, so enjoy! Hopefully the next one will be out by mid/late April. Drop a review and let me know what you think!


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